see any friends in common. The main features include: People Nearby: Users can see and contact people who live in their area, as well as those they 'Bumped Into' with this feature. Search: Users can also see who is on the app in a different city or another part of the world. Encounters: Another free feature, where users swipe right (yes) or left (no) on other users' profiles. If there is a match the two users are notified. Video Chat: In August 2017, Badoo launched its video chat function that allows users to connect real-time, once they've exchanged messages. In 2018, Badoo was testing a livestream feature that was able to broadcast the video to several users at the same time but the feature was later removed. Badoo has developed numerous safety features to ensure users are real and verified. Such features include the 'selfie request' button, through which women can request a man they're speaking to send a 'selfie' to prove they are the same person as in the pictures. The company has also developed a photo verification process, where users upload a photo of themselves mimicking a specific pose. This photo is then verified in a minute by one of Badoo's 5,000 moderators. Badoo is a freemium service, where the basic service is free for everyone but users have an option to pay for premium features. Such features include, ‘Rise Up’, which allows users to pay to give their profile more visibility on the site for a limited time. In late 2007, 20% of Badoo's then 22 million users were paying for heightened visibility at least once a month. However, according to The Economist, by 2011 only 5% of members were paying for the premium services. Users can also pay to have their profile photo more widely visible across the site. "Super Powers" enables users to see more search results, as well as who wants to meet them and which of their messages have been read. Criticisms In a peer-reviewed study by Cambridge University in 2009, it was given the lowest score for privacy among the 45 social networking sites examined. In the same report, it was given a ‘perfect score’ for verified accessibility on mobile devices. Finnish newspaper Iltalehti reported that numerous Badoo profiles were created without people's consent, and that people have reported Badoo's actions to the police. According to Google's transparency report on the requests