Ghosting busters: why tech companies are trying to stop us blanking each other

We've all had to deal with the person who starts a friendly chat then just " vanishes. Dating apps, Facebook and Google think they have the answers. But why do they care?

This Halloween, ghosts aren't welcome. Two dating apps have announced plans to use the season to crack down on the rudest of social media villains, the ghoster: the person who enthusiastically replies to your messages, starts a friendly chat and then, one day, just " stops.

Earlier this week, Bumble, the woman-friendly dating service, announced it had created the post of "ghosting specialist", bringing the journalist and author Kate Leaver in to hear confessions, dispense advice and be a shoulder to cry on for those whose attempts to find love ended with messages echoing in the void.