Tinder expands video selfie biometrics after pilot shows more matches made

Who knew selfie biometrics make people more attractive?  Tinder is rolling out its ID verification to users in the U.S., UK, Brazil and Mexico following a successful pilot in Australia and New Zealand, which showed 67 percent more matches for verified accounts.

Tinder’s ID verification is provided by FaceTec, with the user’s face biometrics matched against a government-issued ID.

Video selfie biometrics will reach Brazil and the UK this spring and roll out in the U.S. and Mexico by summer, Tinder says in an announcement.

There were 70,000 romance scams costing victims $1.3 billion in the U.S. in 2022, according to FTC stats. In this context, a recent TransUnion survey showed 87 percent of users want dating platforms to carry out identity verification.

The move is being applauded by domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy No More for providing additional assurance that those using the app are who they claim to be.

Users who have completed biometric ID verification, which includes an age check, get a blue checkmark.

Less trust and more lawsuits

Despite the conviction of users and advocates that biometric ID verification makes dating apps safer, some consumers are resistant to the change.

Tinder parent Match is already facing lawsuits under Illinois’ Biometric Information Privacy Act, and now another has been filed by a user of Latino dating app Chispa, the Cook County Record reports. As in the previously-filed suits, the company is alleged to have failed to meet BIPA’s informed consent rules, and to have shared biometric data with third parties. Near-identical allegations were also filed by the same legal team against Match apps BLK and Hinge.

A survey from GetApp shows 63 percent of consumers do not believe biometrics are sufficiently accurate, up from 38 percent in 2022. Only 5 percent of consumers are confident in the ability of businesses to protect biometric data, down from 28 percent in 2022. Confidence in fingerprint, face and voice biometrics each declined by 11 and 14 percent.

GetApp asked 1,000 consumers in January about their attitudes towards the use of biometrics by businesses.

Article Topics

Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA)  |  consumer adoption  |  face biometrics  |  FaceTec  |  GetApp  |  identity verification  |  selfie biometrics  |  Tinder