Tinder will introduce verification on their platform to prevent catfishing and users from pretending to be someone they’re not.
One of the most valuable things Tinder can do to make members feel safe is to give them more confidence that their matches are authentic, and they want to do this through ID verification, Rory Kozoll, Tinder’s Head of Trust & Safety Product, said.
Tinder claims that they will investigate which identification documents are most relevant to use for each individual country. In Japan, where this feature has been available since 2019, driver’s licenses and passports are the most used, reports The Verge.
The company will take into account feedback from their own members and experts’ recommendations, in addition to local laws and regulations during the rollout of the new function. Their desire is to make sure that the process is inclusive as well as privacy-friendly.
The offer will initially be voluntary, says Tinder, except in countries where ID verification is required by law, such as in Japan. Tinder users there must prove that they are over 18 years old. Once fully rolled out, the service will be further developed based on feedback from users.
Users with a verified ID will get a badge showing this, like what users with “verified” photos get today.
There will be many, especially people from marginalized groups, who have good reasons for avoiding sharing their identification papers with a digital platform, and Tinder states that they are looking to their communities as well as experts to help make the function as good as possible.
Tinder has previously introduced other security measures on its platform. In March this year, a collaboration was announced with Garbo, which is a database for background checks, so that users can check up potential Tinder dates before meeting them.
Another dating service now using certification is Happn, which they introduced earlier this year. Their solution, however, does not include identification papers, but biometric data from a video recording used to verify that the pictures are of yourself.
