Catfishing and scams are persistent problems on dating apps — and to curb it, Tinder's now asking for IDs.
Starting in the spring for UK and Brazil users and summer for U.S. and Mexico users, Tinder verification will now require a valid driver's license or passport to receive a blue check. This comes after Tinder piloted the program in Australia and New Zealand last fall; users who completed ID verification saw a 67 percent increase in matches than unverified singles.
Tinder established photo verification back in 2020, and last year began asking for video selfies for verification instead of still images. Now, the app will check whether a user's video selfie matches their photo ID and profile photos, according to Tinder's press release. The app will also check someone's date of birth.
Not all users need to show ID. If you only verify your photos on Tinder, you'll receive a blue camera icon badge. If only ID verification, you'll receive a blue ID icon badge. If you want a blue checkmark on your profile, however, you'll need to complete both.
Pamela Zaballa, CEO of NO MORE, a foundation dedicated to ending domestic violence, commented in the press release, "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."
