In Greater Manchester alone, there are almost 20, profiles across a number of different closed groups on the social media platform. Only accessible to women and open to members only they feature posts about men they are dating or have matched with on dating sites - with the aim of sharing 'red flags' or suspicions they may be unfaithful.
They are often shut down and come with strict rules for members - but then resurface months later. There are swathes of groups dedicated to different regions of the UK, following the communities first appearing on Facebook in New York in It has been hailed as a 'powerful tool' for women and girls to warn one another about men they believe could be dangerous, or to share information on someone they claim to have had a bad experience with.
There is often no way of proving the posts are true. Members have claimed that posts can often stray away from the group's intended purpose - sparking urgent warnings from the group's own admins who have explicitly told users: "This group is not about judging men. This group is about protecting and empowering women. In the UK, when someone 'makes comments or publishes content about someone else that is unfair, untrue and harmful to their reputation', they could be held liable for defamation. This also applies to members-only social media groups which are locked down.
The groups urge women not to share details, or screenshots, with anyone outside of the groups or they could be permanently banned. At the time of writing, in Greater Manchester, there is a group with almost 5, members covering Bolton , Stockport and Manchester.
There is a group covering the north west with 15, members, a Preston and Manchester-based community with 4, members, another Manchester group with 10, participants, as well as various other national and local groups for the UK and beyond with millions of accounts involved. One London-based page alone has almost , users. The groups have gained such traction that a dedicated Wikipedia page has been set up about them, citing that as of January last year, they were predicted to have over four million users worldwide, with their popularity ballooning to cover over cities.
