Online dating apps always have a dilemma: privacy or dating security? Here's how Tinder has decided to solve the problem.
Tinder deploys a new tool for the security of its members. It's about profiles verified by means of an identification document, an element integrated into the platform dedicated to finding a soul mate that will allow users to confirm their identity and interact in a more serene way with those present, avoiding nasty surprises.
Born in 2012 on a university campus, the application has become in recent years one of the best known and used among those who are looking for people to meet. The latest integration in order of time, one of the 10 already in use as the swipe that allows you to get in touch only after showing a mutual interest, adds another piece to the mosaic of online safeguarding by significantly reducing the risks of the transition from the virtual to the real world. This complements the photo verification already in use that, at the moment, allows you to get a blue tick next to your username.
How verified profiles work
According to a dedicated post on the platform's blog, Tinder will use various types of documents to confirm the identity of its members. The feature, except in countries where recognition is already mandatory under current law, will be launched on a voluntary basis.
The choice of documentation will not be unique but will vary in the 190 countries in which the app is present; it will be determined by the recommendations of experts and the suggestions of the members themselves. This is a further step forward compared to the photo confirmation, a much simpler process based on the correspondence between the facial expression in a selfie taken ad hoc and the request of the platform, evaluated by a facial recognition algorithm.
As pointed out by Rory Kozoll, head of Trust & Safety Product area, the verification of documents is an extremely sensitive and delicate subject, which will require time to be developed. It will need, for the expert, to take into account not only the regulations in place, but also the privacy of those accessing the platform throughout the vetting process.
"One of the most valuable things Tinder can do to make its members feel safe is to give them more confidence in the authenticity of matches, as well as more control over the people they interact with," Kozoll reiterated in the post. For the operation to be successful, the manager reiterated, massive user participation is needed: "We hope that all of our members, worldwide, will see the benefits of interacting with those who have gone through our identity verification process."
Tinder's Verified Profiles, When They Arrive
Already introduced in Japan in 2019, ID verification will soon be introduced to the app for many of its target markets. Tinder has not provided a detailed timeline for now, although it has emphasized that it wants to kick off the project as early as next quarter of the year.
For now, in Italy you can get the aforementioned blue tick by sending your selfie in the pose suggested by the app. In the future, however, it will be possible to use a document, such as the electronic identity card, to cite one of the most evolved currently in use, to give (and have) greater certainty in conversations with known interlocutors online: we just have to wait.