With around 20,000 people being the victim of catfishing each year in the US alone, social media apps like Tinder and Instagram have been making moves to tighten up the security of their platforms.
Though not to directly address fears over catfishing, a recent security update from Tinder could help to weed out individuals hoping to take up your time, and sometimes, money.
Apps like Tinder have an issue with catfishing
Catfishing, having gained notoriety thanks to the documentary turned TV show of the same name, is a term used to describe a person who sets up a profile under the guise of being someone else. Though their reasons tend to differ, 41% of catfishers said that they were motivated by loneliness.
In a press release on Tuesday, February 20, the dating app announced that it would be rolling out ID verification across the US, UK, Mexico, and Brazil. The beta had previously seen great success in Australia and New Zealand as verified users admitted to getting 67% more matches.
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The process involves users using a video selfie and a valid Driver’s Licence or Passport, which will then be compared to profile pictures. It will also verify the age displayed on the user’s profile.
“People want to feel safe and confident when connecting and communicating with their matches, and we applaud Tinder for giving users this additional option to help confirm their match is the person in their profile,” said Pamela Zaballa, CEO of NO MORE.
Verified users will be marked as such
Tinder users who complete both forms of verification will receive a blue checkmark on their profile, much like Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. If they only do photo verification, they get a blue camera, and if they just do ID, they will get a blue ID badge.
Ted Bunch, Chief Development Officer, A Call To Men, added: “We believe ID Verification is an important tool users can adopt to help prove they are the person in their photos as well as help provide some peace of mind when deciding to meet someone off the app. By giving this option to more users, Tinder is giving users more choice and options in how they connect and ultimately feel safer when exploring new connections.”
