Tinder Introduces Mandatory Face Check for California Users to Combat Fake Profiles
Tinder, the popular dating app owned by Match Group, has introduced a mandatory facial recognition feature – called “Face Check” – for all new users registering in California. The move marks a major shift in the platform’s approach to user verification and safety, aiming to curb fake profiles, reduce the number of romance fraud cases and increase trust among users.
Face Check is a biometric verification system that requires users to submit a short video selfie during account creation. This video is analyzed using facial recognition technology to ensure that the person in the video matches the photos uploaded in their Tinder profile. The system also detects if the same face is being used across multiple accounts, a tactic often employed by scammers and bots.
Once a user passes the Face Check, a verified badge appears on their profile, indicating to others that their identity has been authenticated by Tinder’s system. This badge has already become a sought-after status symbol on the app, providing a layer of credibility and helping to filter out potentially deceptive profiles.
According to Tinder, the Face Check video is deleted shortly after verification is completed. However, two still images from the video, along with an encrypted facial map, are retained for as long as the user’s account remains active. These data points are used solely for fraud prevention, particularly to flag duplicate profiles using the same biometric identity.
If a user deletes their account, Tinder says the retained biometric data will be permanently erased within 30 days. These policies are in line with California’s stringent privacy laws, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), though critics say the use of biometric identifiers still poses ethical and legal questions that deserve closer scrutiny.
Tinder’s decision to launch the mandatory feature in California is strategic. California is Tinder’s largest U.S. market and a bellwether for technology adoption and privacy regulation. The state is also home to some of the most progressive digital rights legislation in the country, making it both a challenging and important testing ground for features involving sensitive personal data.
By starting with California, Tinder can analyze user behavior, gauge public reaction, and fine-tune its policies before rolling out the feature more broadly across the United States or internationally.
Online dating scams have become a multibillion-dollar problem. In 2023 alone, the FBI reported over $1.1 billion in losses due to romance-related fraud in the United States. Tinder’s facial recognition rollout is a direct response to this alarming trend. While traditional verification methods – such as uploading government-issued IDs – remain optional, Face Check is now mandatory for California users and could eventually become standard for all new sign-ups.
