今日吃瓜

Users of Grindr have this week found themselves being asked to verify their age on the gay dating app.

The move comes in the wake of the new social media laws for minors in Australia, which ban access to social media for those under 18.

Grindr says the move is part of their commitment to “user safety and privacy.”

New verification processes for Grindr users

Earlier this week some Grindr users logged onto the platform only to be greeted with a new message asking them to complete an age verification check.

“To help keep minors off Grindr, we need to confirm your age” says the new message.

“Our automated system has flagged your account for review. You must be 18+ to use Grindr. You will not be able to use Grindr until you confirm your age” the instructions read.

Users are then taken to the age verification page where they are given options to verify their age that include providing identification or completing a short selfie video through their age verification software.

Users opting for the face verification software are then asked to record a short video, which is processed through Facetec before granting them access directly back into their account.

User “Josh” spoke to The Star Observer about his experience when he tried to access the app on Wednesday.

“I was pretty surprised when I opened it up and it asked me, I didn鈥檛 really think that was going to happen on Grindr” he said.

“I鈥檝e been using Grindr since I turned 18, I鈥檓 26 and I don鈥檛 even have a face pic on my profile, but its not like I look young in my pics, I do have a beard, so It was kind of strange” he said of being asked to verify his age.

“It didn鈥檛 take long to do the age verification and I was back in and everything still worked” he said, whilst the process was unexpected, he supported the move to help keep the platform free from underage users.

“I鈥檓 still happy to keep using it and I guess it鈥檚 kind of good, Grindr should be for adults and we definitely do not want underage people on there, I just hope it works properly and doesn鈥檛 lock people who are over 18 out.”

Coincidentally the introduction of the new software was launched this week at the same time as the Australian federal government introduced new laws banning access to social media accounts for young people under the age of 16.

Grindr was not one of the social media platforms listed in the official applications required to police the age of their users, however a confirmed the move was about their commitment to “protecting user safety and privacy.” Whilst they confirmed the introduction of the new software, they did not confirm how or why the introduction of the software aligned or coincided with the new social media laws.

“Grindr is an 18+ platform committed to protecting user safety and privacy. We are introducing a one-time age assurance step for Grindr users in Australia” the spokesperson said.

“The process is fast, secure, and designed so that any images or documents used for verification are encrypted and deleted once the check is complete. Grindr utilizes biometric verification technology from Facetec.”