On Tuesday, Tinder said it was extending its identity verification program to the U.S., U.K., Brazil, and Mexico. The service helps dating app users verify their profiles and obtain a blue confirmed tick. Tinder will launch this feature in the U.S., Mexico, the U.K., and Brazil by summer and spring, respectively.
The feature enhancement comes as artificial intelligence makes it tougher to differentiate fact from fiction. The FTC stated last year that romance scams cost victims $1.3 billion in 2022, with a typical loss of $4,400.
Tinder tested identity verification in Australia and New Zealand last autumn. Users who validated their IDs had 67% more matches, according to the business.
The app requires a video selfie and a driver’s license or passport to verify identification. A third-party vendor will then verify that the video selfie’s face matches the ID and profile images. ID verification also checks the birthdate.
ID Verification is different from Tinder’s Photo Verification function, which lets users show they’re not bots or catfish. Photo verification on Tinder once asked users to pose for photos to get verified. Tinder added a video selfie last year to improve the process.
Tinder said users who just complete photo verification will get a blue camera icon badge, while those who only complete ID verification will receive a blue ID icon badge. Users who pass ID and photo verification get a blue checkmark.
Tinder wants users to feel more sure that they’re chatting with a genuine person by introducing ID verification.
Tinder promised in 2021 that it would provide optional ID verification internationally, so today’s news isn’t surprising. The business debuted its identity verification tool in Japan in 2019, where verification is required by law, after years of development. Tinder should extend ID verification to additional nations as AI and romance fraud proliferate.
