Tinder’s Face Verification Will Now Require Video Selfies

Is Tinder headed in the right direction with its new video verification?  

Key Insights: 

• Tinder has updated its verification process to require users to take a video selfie 
• The company is also rolling out a feature that lets verified members chat solely with other verified members 
• With the rise of deepfakes, bots, and spam accounts, a new authentication process is a step forward for the dating app in protecting its members. 

Tinder is changing its photo verification process to curb catfishers and scammers.  

In the new update, users will be asked to take a video selfie to verify their accounts, no longer requiring them to upload images of themselves. The AI-powered feature will also act as a precedent for users to obtain a blue check on their dating profile.  

Additionally, if verified members want to chat only with other verified members, they can also opt to restrict chats to purely verified accounts, or what Tinder calls “Photo Verified Cuties.”  

The dating company explained that the new process makes the app safer for its members. As the feature rolls out today, users will be prompted to update their app to the latest version of Tinder. 

While video verification is new to the match-making app, other companies like Apple, Google, and other dating apps such as Hinge have long applied the process to their security measures. 

Growing Problem of Deepfakes 

The rise of AI tools has made it easy to create realistic faces, often known as “deepfakes,” or imitate the features of an existing person.  

According to Preventor CEO Jaime Ramirez, deepfakes are practically part of the internet landscape. “[U]nless a rigorous fact-checking exercise is carried out or such creations are intended to be publicly disclosed, they are difficult to trace,” he shared in a blog post. 

True enough, last February saw a rise in romance scams, as reported by the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. In their report, the organization said that these schemes often involved getting a user to enter a virtual, online relationship, building their trust, before requesting for money, and cryptocurrency, among other things.  

Its data also shows that the losses from 1928 reports of romance scams total more than $64.5 million in the year of 2021 alone.  

AI also plays a big role in this. According to Jeff Clune, an associate professor of computer science at the University of British Columbia, scammers have "more tools in their toolbox to hoodwink people, especially people who are not aware of recent advances in technology.” 

“Even though scamming is very prevalent right now, there's still a cost to do it, because a human has to sit there and spend their time... But if you can have AI do it to a million people a day and just sit and watch the money roll in, that's a scary place to be. And that is something that is possible with this technology," he explained in an interview. 

This is why Ramirez expressed the importance of liveness detection as a solution to detect malicious activity properly. 

“Authentication systems are vital for companies that are performing online onboarding processes or continuous verification, so liveness detection is an increasingly adopted tool in all platforms that require login such as banks or fintech's, which are also highly exposed to deepfakes,” he explained. 

While deepfakes and problems adjacent to it have a high chance of growing alongside the development of AI, Tinder’s new verification process may be what it needs to make sure its users are real people – and not just spam. 

Upon its announcement of the new feature, the match-making company also said that it is working with a third-party company to help it manage the video verification process, however it has not named the company. 

Are you in favor of Tinder’s new video verification process? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter and Instagram.