Tinder Is Launching ID Verification Globally To Thwart Catfishes & Heartbreakers
Image via Tinder
Tinder has just announced that it will roll out an ID verification process on its platform globally, ensuring a better experience for users and reducing the risk of “catfishing.”
In Japan, users have already been asked to present ID Verification since 2019, and feedback has been gathered to help the team propel the feature to a wider userbase.
ID verification usually works with a government-issued document such as a passport or driver’s license in order to prove the user’s identity. However, in its press release, Tinder writes that it’s aware that not everyone might feel comfortable doing so for safety reasons.
“We know that in many parts of the world and within traditionally marginalized communities, people might have compelling reasons that they can’t or don’t want to share their real-world identity with an online platform,” says Tracey Breeden, VP of Safety and Social Advocacy at Match Group, Tinder’s parent company.
She also states that finding a “truly equitable solution” for ID Verification is “challenging, but critical” and describes it as the app’s “safety project.”
ID Verification isn’t the only thing that Tinder is doing to help its users enjoy the app safely. The app already has photo verification, alongside a feature that protects LGBTQ+ users traveling to countries where homosexuality still aren’t welcome. Last year, it introduced a “silent bodyguard” function that users can use to alert authorities if they find themselves in compromising situations.
The new identification feature will begin as voluntary, except where mandated by law. It will evolve upon receiving feedback to “ensure an equitable, inclusive and privacy-friendly approach to ID Verification.”
[via Gizmodo, image via Tinder]
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