Tinder to make ID verification available to members globally, to be voluntary initially

In an effort to make online dating safer, dating app Tinder has announced it is going to make ID verification available to all its members globally soon. The platform is going to take into consideration expert recommendations and input from members regarding what documents are most appropriate in each country, and local laws and regulations, as works on determining how the feature will roll out. The verification feature is going to begin as voluntary, except where mandated by law, and based on the inputs received Tinder is going to evolve it to ensure an “equitable, inclusive and privacy-friendly approach to ID verification”.

“ID Verification is complex and nuanced, which is why we are taking a test-and-learn approach to the rollout. We know 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 more control over who they interact with. And we hope all our members worldwide will see the benefits of interacting with people who have gone through our ID verification process. We look forward to a day when as many people as possible are verified on Tinder,” said Rory Kozoll, Head of Trust & Safety Product at Tinder.

This is the latest safety feature Tinder is rolling out on the platform that began with the Swipe feature. Tinder’s Swipe feature was built on opt-in technology and was based on the premise of mutual consent before a connection is made. Over the last couple of years, Tinder has added more safety features to the app like Photo Verification, Face to Face video chat, etc. All of Tinder’s safety features are listed here.

“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. Creating a truly equitable solution for ID Verification is a challenging, but critical safety project and we are looking to our communities as well as experts to help inform our approach,” said Tracey Breeden, VP of Safety and Social Advocacy at Match Group.

Tinder first rolled out its ID Verification in Japan in 2019 and the company says they have used the learnings from that market to take the call about rolling this feature out globally.