One of the most popular dating application, Tinder, announced that photo verification will now be a requirement in Australia to avoid catfishing.
The premier dating application, Tinder, announced on October 5 (Monday) that the users would now be able to verify their IDs and subsequently earn a “blue tick.”
The “blue tick” would appear adjacent to their names and signal the potential “swiper” that the profile is indeed a human. The said feature would help tinder against bots and prevent catfishing, a widespread practice in Tinder.
A person creating an account to scam other users with a fake name and pictures would be deemed the “catfisher.”
The verification technology
According to a report by Daily Mail, Tinder will use “human-assisted AI technology” for the verification process. The verification process will compare the photos uploaded on the user’s profile with the user’s face in real-time and determine whether the person is genuine or not.
Once verified, the user will earn a blue tick visible to all the potential “swipers.”
Tinder’s Head of Trust and Safety Product, Rory Kozol, believes that the new security feature will make the users feel safer.
“Every day, millions of our members trust us to introduce them to new people, and we’re dedicated to building innovative safety features powered by best-in-class technology that meet the needs of today’s daters,” Rory said in a statement to Gizmodo.
However, the photo verification feature is neither new nor exclusive to the Australian users. The photo verification feature has long been in use across the region.
How to photo verify “Tinder” profile
With the new update in place, many users will want to get the “blue tick” on their profiles. One could even say that the chances of getting a match would increase with the blue tick since it symbolizes that the profile is not a scam.
To verify their profile, one could go to the Profile Settings and click the grey checkmark beside their name. Once prompted, select Verify Your Profile, initiating the verification process.
The process requires the user to show one’s face and click a selfie. After submitting the photo, one might have to wait for a few days for Tinder’s feedback.
Timing of the move
The update comes when the coronavirus has brought almost all of the people, if not, to a halt.
The only remaining means of dating left is online dating, so an additional security feature at this time makes a lot of sense. Moreover, as reported by the Insider, recent incidents caused users to worry about their safety on the dating application.
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