Tinder is testing out a new facial recognition feature as it seeks to reduce fraud and build trust among its customer base.
The West Hollywood-based company, which is owned by online dating company Match Group, is now mandating that California users verify their identity through a feature called Face Check when setting up their accounts. The news was first reported by Axios.
“Creating a fun and respectful environment where Tinder users can be their true selves is our priority,” a Tinder spokesperson told CBS News. “As part of our continued efforts, we are always testing ways to deliver the best experience for our users to seek authentic connections.”
Powered by an underlying technology called FaceTec, the Face Check feature prompts users to take a short video of themselves which it then scans to make sure the person is who they say they are. It also tests whether a person’s face matches their Tinder photos and examines other accounts to make sure no one else is using their likeness. Once verified, users get a blue checkmark on their profile.
According to Tinder, verification data obtained during the face scans is stored for the lifetime of the person’s account but gets deleted within 30 days after someone closes their account.
“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,” Yoel Roth, Match Group’s head of trust and safety, told the outlet.
Photo verification is already one of the safety features on Tinder, but users have to opt into it.
Tinder’s pilot comes amid a rise in “romance scams,” in which people create fake online profiles in order to win over someone’s trust, oftentimes to manipulate them into giving money. U.S. Justice Department and FBI officials told CBS News last year that there were more than 64,000 American victims of romance scams in 2023.
Dating apps, including Tinder, are fertile ground for scams, according to various consumer protection sources including the FBI and Federal Trade Commission. In one case documented in the Netflix film “Tinder Swindler,” a man duped a women into giving him millions of dollars.
Tinder does not have any plans to expand the facial recognition technology beyond California at this time, a spokesperson for the company told CBS MoneyWatch.
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