Tinder To Require Facial Recognition In California To Reduce Impersonation

Tinder is now requiring new users in California to use facial recognition technology to verify their profiles. The matchmaking platform aims to reduce impersonation as the feature has already performed well in Colombia and Canada.

According to Axios, the initiative is part of Match Group—Tinder’s parent company—broader efforts to enhance user safety. The new feature, called Face Check, is designed to scan users’ faces during the onboarding process.

Users will be asked to make a short video selfie, and the technology will verify if the image matches the photos uploaded for the profile. The system will also detect if the person has multiple profiles. Those who verify their ID will get a verified badge on their profile.

“We see this as one part of a set of identity assurance options that are available to users,” said Yoel Roth, Match Group’s head of trust and safety, to Axios. “Face Check … is really meant to be about confirming that this person is a real, live person and not a bot or a spoofed account.”

Tinder introduced ID verification in 2020, which uses a government-issued ID to confirm age and name, Face Check will be another security layer.

Face Check has already been introduced in Colombia and Canada, and the company said it helped reduce bad actor reports and improved the perception of authenticity.

Spencer Rascoff, Match Group CEO, explained that they are considering safety a core business strategy. “Even if in the short term, it has the effect of potentially reducing some top-line user metrics, we think it’s the right thing to do for the business,” said Rascoff.

A few days ago, Tinder also began testing a paid feature that allows users to set height preferences, sparking debate in the community. Features that filter appearance have gained interest among users, as well as concerns.

Competitors such as Bumble and Hinge have been implementing similar features recently. Tinder’s new initiatives come after the company has been facing challenges in the market, as paid users dropped 5% and it will lay off 13% of staff.