Tinder Aims to Make Online Dating Safer With ID Verification Option Globally

Tinder has announced the company will make ID Verification available to members worldwide in the “coming quarters.” The Match Group-owned online dating platform said the company would consider expert recommendations and local laws and regulations before the global rollout. Tinder adds that ID Verification will be voluntary, and there’s no information on whether it will become a mandatory norm in future. As the name suggests, ID Verifications will essentially let users verify their profile’s authenticity by certified documents. The feature has been available in Japan since 2019, where users can provide a passport or license for verification, but that may vary from place to place. The platform might also offer a badge (say in the form of a blue tick) to show the profile’s authenticity, which in turn would curb catfishing practices on the platform.

In a press note, the company explains that ID Verification is complex, and Tinder wants to take a “test-and-learn approach” before the final 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,” Rory Kozoll, Head of Trust & Safety Product at Tinder said. Over the years, the platform has launched various in-app tools to verify the other user’s authenticity via face-to-face video, photo verification, and Noonlight protection.

The feature would be helpful especially in the current age where the digital ecosystem is on the rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Reports show that activity on dating apps surged during the pandemic. Notably, Bumble also offers photo verification that adds a blue tick on the profile to prove authenticity. Tinder’s sister brand Hinge, on the other hand, offers no form of photo or ID verification.

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