Tinder Introduces Blue Ticks For UK Citizens To Combat Fake Profiles

Time and again, Tinder has been targeted by fake profiles, raising huge safety concerns for the users on the platform. To combat this issue, the dating platform has introduced a new verification system. Just like other social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, Tinder will now add a blue checkmark to verified profiles.

This verification feature might also expand to the US, Brazil, and Mexico this year.

Tinder has been working on this feature for a long time. It was first introduced in Japan in 2019 where profile verification is legally required. Tinder then rolled it out in Australia and New Zealand where it was highly successful.

Following these successful deployments, the company announced on Tuesday that it's planning to launch it in the UK as well this spring.

By doing so, the app is trying to give its users the confidence that they are talking to real, authentic people. In the words of senior vice president Rory Kozoll, user safety is their number one priority.

The announcement isn't much of a surprise because, in 2021, the app had already confirmed that they are working on making voluntary ID verification a global feature. This might mean that we can expect to see this feature rolling out in more countries in the future.

How Does The Process Work?

Now speaking of the verification process, it's quite simple. Once your profile is created, you'll have to submit a video selfie along with your passport or driving license and a third-party vendor will check if it matches.

These IDs will also be used to verify your date of birth, which will ensure that underage users can no longer hack their way into the app.

Those who only verify their photo will get a blue camera icon badge and those who only verify their IDs will get a blue ID icon match. The ones who verify with both will get a blue checkmark.

The app previously provided blue check marks only to celebrities. And to minimize catfishing for regular people, it had a photo verification option. However, it seems it didn't help much in preventing fake profiles from scamming real users.

Verifying Tinder profiles will also benefit individual users. After their rollout in Australia and New Zealand, the company noticed that those who have a verified profile tend to get 67% more matches.

What Do People Think About This New Feature?

Although the verification tool is a welcome feature, industry experts believe it should be made mandatory instead of optional.

Ensuring ID verification is mandatory across all dating apps, rather than optional, would be more robust.Wayne Stevens, spokesman of the charity Victim Support

Wayne also added that romance scams are devastating, especially because of the stigma and shame around it.

Romance fraud, which usually leads to financial fraud, has become a growing concern ever since AI became widely accessible to the masses. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that romance frauds in 2022 cost close to $1.3 million to the victims with $4,400 being the median loss for individual victims.

Tinder has always been mindful of its user's experience on the app. Over the past few years, the app has launched 20 in-app safety features so that everyone can have a pleasant experience. With the addition of this new verification step, people will have an easier time meeting their perfect match.

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