Key Takeaways

Hinge is officially moving safety to the C-suite. The dating app has promoted Jeff Dunn to Chief Risk Officer as a public recommitment to safety. 

Online daters want to know that the person in charge of their safety is sitting in the same room as the people who make serious decisions about the entire company. 

In 2023, Pew Research found that 57% of surveyed women don’t feel safe while online dating compared to 41% of men. Overall, nearly half (49%) of adults surveyed by Pew said they felt not too safe or not at all safe when using online dating platforms. With Dunn’s extensive background in securing internet integrity, Hinge hopes that he’s exactly what its community of daters needs. 

“Adding safety leadership to the C-Suite is an exciting next step in the continued prioritization of fostering user trust as a core part of the company ethos,” according to a statement announcing Dunn’s promotion. 

Hinge also referred to Dunn as an “industry advocate” with a passion for keeping people safe online. After all, Dunn brings more than a decade of experience in similar roles, including as VP of Trust & Safety at Hinge. 

Dunn shepherded industry-first AI innovations at Hinge, from the Comment Filter to the expansion of the Are You Sure notification. On Internet Safety Day in 2025, Dunn emphasized how 76% of surveyed Hinge users appreciated the app’s selfie verification tool, as well as the badge that indicates a user’s authenticity. 

Hinge, often with Dunn at the forefront, has regularly acknowledged the growing danger of romance scams. On World Romance Scam Prevention Day in 2024, Dunn highlighted Hinge’s “robust reporting tools”, frequent innovation efforts with Hinge Labs, and the app’s focus on “data labeling efforts to better train algorithms designed to improve detection.” 

He also mentioned the Tech Against Scams Coalition, which Hinge’s parent company, Match Group, helped launch in 2024. “This collaborative approach helps to benefit everyone by allowing for the type of knowledge and resource sharing that will help companies identify new challenges earlier, combine resources, and expedite solutions,” he said. 

On LinkedIn, Dunn not only expressed his passion for keeping people safe online, but for being a safe space for his colleagues and collaborators as well:

“As CRO, I’ll be focused on mitigating risks across every part of our work: ensuring our daters have the safest possible journey, our team thrives in a secure and supportive environment, and the business continues to grow with integrity.” 

Dunn’s appointment signals an ongoing industry shift to make the user’s trust and safety a top priority. As user ambivalence deepens and romance scams grow, Hinge has responded by putting Dunn in the C-suite alongside other leaders and innovators. This sends a clear message to Hinge users: “Your safety matters as much to us as your wallet.”