Controversial Facebook group in Manitoba increasing in popularity

A controversial Facebook group is gaining more members every day. ‘Are we dating the same guy? Manitoba’ is the name of a Facebook group where members post pictures of the men they’ve matched with on dating apps, to see if there are any ‘red flags’ to look out for.

“It’s to share information to allow members, if they’re going to pursue something romantically, they can make an informed decision,” explained Brittany Jade, founder of Are we dating the same guy? Manitoba.

The Facebook group was created earlier in the year but gained traction in recent months. Currently, the group has more than 11 thousand members.

“Basically, I started because it was trending on TikTok and full disclosure I did honestly start it because it looked like it was a little bit dramatic and full of gossip,” explained Jade.

“We noticed really quickly that we needed to run it in such a way that it wasn’t just a ‘man-bashing’ site, it was more than that.”

Jade says it’s all about creating a community of supportive women and promoting safety.

“Friendships have been started, we even have posts where guys have been posted and all of the comments have been nothing but positive and then we get another post a couple days later saying that the girl who posted went on a date with a guy and he was great and they’re going on a second date. So it’s not all that bad for the guys too,” Jade told CityNews.

Other similar pages of ‘Are we dating the same guy’ also exist in several other cities and provinces. And another site has popped up from another perspective, ‘Are we dating the same girl? Manitoba.’

But what if someone objects to being included on one of these pages? Lawyer Bob Sokalski says having a public picture posted from a dating app to a Facebook group is not necessarily an issue.

“What was put on the dating site whether it’s ‘Tindle’ or ‘Bumble’ whatever they are, there’ new names every day. If the origination of the photograph was put out there to attract dates, then one cannot later claw back and say ‘oh no I want that back,'” explained Sokalski.

The problem however lies in the comment section.

“If allegations made with a photograph, suggesting, accusing, inserting, implying by innuendo, that person has done something that’s going to damage their own reputation, if that can’t be proven to be true by the person who’s posted those allegations, then they can face exposure to damages to defamation,” said Sokalski.

Jade says she’s taken measures to ensure that members don’t post anything that could possibly defame an individual such as enforcing stricter guidelines and bringing in more moderators. But with over 11 thousand members and growing, even she admits it can be hard to keep up.

“If you’re against the group I guess I get it. But I think that if you have a good head on your shoulders you will really understand what we’re doing here and know that we’re not in it for the wrong reasons.”