DC National Guard Flocking to Tinder in Wake of Riots

Washington D.C. has increased its National Guard presence since the riots at the Capitol on January 6th, and these troops are turning to Tinder to find love while they work.

According to Newsweek, there have been reports on TikTok that Tinder has been flooded with photos of men in uniform, which is highly unusual for the Washington D.C. area. While these officers are sharing photos in their fatigues, they are also sharing interests like traveling and video games, according to Newsweek.

People are taking to social media to point out this trend, noting how many more military people are showing up as potential matches. In fact, some users in the DC area said the majority of profiles they see are members of the National Guard. Even a reporter for Sports Illustrated noticed the increase in these profiles.

The National Guard troops from other states were brought to D.C. in the lead-up to the Inauguration of President Joe Biden, when security was in full force, and is expected to continue for a little while. 

The Capitol riot has impacted dating apps like Tinder and Bumble in profound ways, and not just with National Guard sign-ups. People using the apps were changing their profiles to match with MAGA supporters and potential participants in the riots, and when those rioters shared video and photos, their dating app matches turned them into the FBI.

Because of this very specific form of catfishing, Bumble turned off the “political” filter on its app, only to turn it back on a short time later when their users complained. Since that time, both Bumble and Tinder have been identifying and blocking app users who participated in the riot.

According to The Washington Post, dating app users becoming amateur sleuths have increased, and has led to identifying hundreds of participants and led to many arrests. However, privacy advocates have warned that “pervasive public surveillance” and the use of private company platforms like dating apps to target people could lead to significant problems, including users misidentifying people and targeting them for arrest. They could also potentially abuse the platforms by choosing to target peaceful protestors for Black Lives Matter and other social justice actions, and not just rioters committing violent acts.

Match Group (which owns Tinder) and Bumble maintain that they do not tolerate users who violate their policies, including those using the platforms to spread insurrectionist content or incite any kind of violence. 

Match Group spokeswoman Vidhya Murugesan told The Washington Post: “We have, and will continue, to ban any users wanted by the FBI in connection with domestic terrorism from all of our brands, and we always cooperate with law enforcement in their investigations.”