Popular gay dating app Grindr has announced new safety/security features to help protect users from identity theft and danger in locations where being gay is a crime.
The new features include:
• Being able to ‘unsend’ messages and photos from conversations with other users
• ‘Expiring photos’ which will allow users to have their photos disappear from conversations
• Screenshot blocking to protect content and photos of those in countries or locations unfriendly to LGBTQ people
Grindr has also unveiled a “Holistic Security Guide.”
The guide, released in six languages, provides advice for digital security, personal safety and emotional well-being while engaging others online.
“We are so proud to introduce these new security features, along with the Holistic Security Guide, as we continue to promote safety and justice for our users around the globe,” said Jack Harrison-Quintana, the director of Grindr for Equality. “We are grateful for the feedback from users and the various organizations and activists around the world who have helped us to continue improving the quality of life for Grindr users.”
The company says the new features are part of Grindr’s continuing efforts to encourage more awareness of personal safety after reports of crimes being committed against queer people using the app.
The U.S. Justice Department announced today, for example, that two men in Dallas have pleaded guilty to using the dating app to lure unsuspecting gay men to a vacant apartment in order to rob them, force them at gunpoint to withdraw cash from ATMs, commit violent acts and other hate crimes.
