Tinder Rolling Out Global ID Verification

Tinder announced that it will roll out its ID verification system worldwide so users can verify their ages. This follows the app’s photo verification feature to address the issue of eliminating fake profiles propagating the app.

ID verification will be prominently displayed on a user’s profile, similar to the blue checkmark currently used for a verified photo, according to Tech Crunch.

Tinder began beta testing ID verification regionally in 2019 and said it will be rolling it out worldwide over the next few quarters. In most countries the service will be voluntary, at least for now, to address the challenge of underage people using the app. However, in places like Japan where it’s against the law for people under 18 to use dating apps, verifying ages will be mandatory. The feature will be free to use.

ID verification will also cross-reference public safety data like the sex offender registry, another move to improve security on the app. Tinder has taken steps recently to add these types of safety features following an investigation launched by U.S. Congressional Representatives to research safety policies on dating apps. The Congress members wrote a letter to Match Group, Tinder’s parent company, stating their concern that the company doesn’t check user information to see if they are on sex offender registries.

This also follows a scathing report from ABC in Australia, which found that users had difficulty reporting abuse over the app, including sexual assault, and often when they did they never heard from the company.

Currently, Tinder checks a user’s credit card information against the sex offender database, and also requires users to sign the terms of service, which states that the user has: “never been convicted of or pled no contest to a felony, a sex crime, or any crime involving violence.” However, these protections don’t extend to users signing up for the free app. In fact, company executives have admitted that there are sex offenders using the free version, so the new verification system aims to address it.

Tinder has also partnered with safety app services like Noonlight, which provides users with the option of safety features like a “panic button” to call 911 if they ever feel unsafe on a date, or to let friends and family know where they are meeting a date with a location sharing feature. More recently, Tinder has partnered with background check service Garbo to offer users background checks on potential dates before deciding whether to meet them in person.

“Creating a truly equitable solution for ID Verification is a challenging, but critical safety project and we are looking to our communities as well as experts to help inform our approach,” the company wrote in a statement.