Popular dating app Grindr has announced it will be introducing safety features to protect users in countries where authorities target LGBT+ people.
Grindr has worked with human rights organisation Article 19 to ensure the app offers up-to-date local warnings to users at risk of entrapment. Police in countries including Egypt have reportedly used fake Grindr profiles to hunt down members of the queer community.
In a statement supplied to , Jack Harrison-Quintana - Grindr’s equality director - said that safety was a top priority.
“In addition to changes to our architecture, we have been working with regional activists to put out weekly, and at times of heightened scrutiny, daily notifications providing safety tips to avoid police entrapment as well as information about how to contact local LGBTQ resources,” Harrison-Quintana said.
The new Grindr features will include a more discreet app icon—to reduce the risk of users being identified—as well as a password to log in to the app.
“This partnership is helping to keep LGBTQ people safe in countries where their sexuality puts them at risk of arrest, prison and even torture,” commented Article 19 executive director, Thomas Hughes.
“Ultimately we want governments in these countries to stop their persecution of people based on their sexual identity, but these practical changes can help to reduce the impact of these repressive crackdowns.
“This is also a partnership that demonstrates how human rights groups and for profit businesses can work together to help mitigate human rights abuses.”
Grindr recently added features to make the app more inclusive of trans and gender non-conforming users.
