Tinder will make ID verification available to members to boost safety

Tinder has confirmed that it will be making ID verification available to its users on a voluntary basis as it aims to boost safety across the platform and reassure its users.

Verification of identity is something of an internet hot potato.

On one hand you have many calling for more mandated verification of ID; on the other, the argument that verification can put people at risk and would deter those speaking out against real world harms.

Tinder has made it clear that verification of identity on the platform will be voluntary; unless it’s mandated by law in a particular region where it is available.

For users, there’s plenty of incentive to use ID verification; as it makes it much more likely that you’re talking to the person you think you’re talking to and it’s easy to see a future where people will only match with those who are also verified.

“ID Verification is complex and nuanced; which is why we are taking a test-and-learn approach to the rollout,” says Rory Kozoll, head of trust and safety product at Tinder.

“We know one of the most valuable things Tinder can do to make members feel safe is to give them more confidence that their matches are authentic and more control over who they interact with.”

Tinder has said it will seek to identify the best types of documentation for each country it is working in; but also understands that some might not be willing to share official ID documents with an online platform.

ID verification isn’t new to Tinder: the company rolled it out in Japan in 2019 and also says that it is drawing on this experience to guide it into widening the scheme globally.

Tinder says that ID verification will be available “in the coming quarters.“