Tinder Reverses Ban on Black Lives Matter Promotion

Dating app Tinder came under fire for banning users of its platform when they posted statements and photos supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. Shortly after the backlash, the company reversed their decision.

Millions of people around the world have been protesting police violence in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. Black Lives Matter and other racial justice organizations have crafted petitions and promoted donation requests as the movement has progressed. Some Tinder users were spreading the word through their Tinder profiles in order to further promote these petitions and causes, and dozens reported being banned from the platform.

According to BBC, one user took to Twitter to announce: “Yesterday, I changed my Tinder bio to 'All Black Lives Matter. If you don’t think so, swipe left.” That user was banned shortly thereafter.

Another tweeted: "I added [the hashtag] #BlackLivesMatter to my Tinder bio and the next day my account is banned. Yikes!"

According to Buzzfeed, Tinder offered to donate an unspecified amount to Black Lives Matter, which many Tinder users found insulting as the company was simultaneously banning its users from doing the same on its platform.

The dating app pointed to its guidelines, which state that user accounts cannot be used for “promotional purposes.”

When users began speaking out after they had been banned from the platform, the dating app reversed its practice. Banned users can now contact the app to be reinstated, the company said.

However, while some users now have access again after temporarily being banned from the app, others are still waiting to hear back. There have been some Tinder users who said they offered nude pics to matches in exchange for proof of Black Lives Matter support – specifically screenshots of donations to racial justice causes and bail funds – but were banned before they could make good on their promises.

Exchanging nude photos is not allowed on Tinder according to the community guidelines, but a spokesperson told Buzzfeed that users would not be banned from the app if their bios offered nudes in exchange for donations. However, the company did say those bios would be deleted.

"From time to time, our members use Tinder to engage with topics they care about," a spokesperson from Tinder told Buzzfeed. "And while our community guidelines state that we may remove accounts used for promotional purposes, we are dedicated to enforcing our guidelines in line with our values.

"We have voiced our support for the Black Lives Matter movement and want our platform to be a place where our members can do the same."

For more on this dating service you can read our Tinder review.