Tinder users will soon have to take a video selfie to get verified on the dating app — amid the rise of AI images.
On Tuesday, Tinder announced it would be expanding its verification requirements to make users share a video selfie and a photo ID to get a special verification badge.
The expansion of the feature comes as the surge of AI technology makes it harder to determine what photos are real — leading to a rise in crime on dating apps.
To get the blue checkmark on the dating app, users will need to submit a video selfie that matches the photo on their ID and the pictures on their profile.
Tinder will also look at the date of birth listed on a user’s driver’s license or passport to confirm the age they’ve listed on the dating app.
Users can still verify their profile by only taking a video selfie. However, their profile will only receive a blue camera icon badge — not a blue checkmark. They will need to submit a video selfie and upload their ID to get this checkmark.
Tinder, which is owned by Match Group, first started testing the double-layer identity verification program in Australia and New Zealand last year. It plans to roll it out in the U.S. and Mexico by the summer, while the U.K. and Brazil should get the ID verification option in the Spring.
Tinder found that users who completed the ID Verification option saw a 67% increase in matches than those not verified.
Rise of AI Dating Scams
By adding ID verification to the dating app, Tinder aims to help users feel more confident that they’re talking to a real person as opposed to a scammer or catfish.
Last year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported that romance scams had cost victims $1.3 billion in 2022. The agency said that 19% of the scams started on dating apps.
According to Business Insider, cyber security management company Tenable recently found that AI is making it easier to pass off fake accounts on dating apps. Satnam Narang, a senior staff engineer at Tenable told the publication that some of these dating profiles managed to get verified on apps even though they seemed illegitimate.
“As new technology evolves, we are evolving with it in order to help maintain the integrity of our apps,” Match Group spokesperson Kayla Whaling tells Business Insider.
According to Whaling, Tinder removes 44 spam accounts per minute across parent company Match Group which operates the largest global portfolio of popular online dating services.
“It will help give users additional peace of mind when connecting with others who are both photo and ID-verified,” Whaling adds.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.