When asked what the app plans to do about the fake profiles that already exist, given Face Check only applies to new users, Roth says the tech is most effective in curbing “the biggest issue that we’re concerned with, which is the bulk creation of new accounts.”
As WIRED previously reported, people in the US have reported nearly $4.5 billion in romance and confidence fraud losses over the past decade, according to an analysis of the FBI’s internet crime reports. Through romance scams, fraudsters and catfishers create fake identities to woo people and get their money; both crypto and AI can help facilitate these scams.
Tinder is currently undergoing an overhaul with new Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff at the helm. Rascoff, a venture capitalist who cofounded Zillow, took the reins of Match Group in February and within months laid off 13 percent of the company’s workforce. Though Rascoff oversees Match Group’s entire portfolio—which includes Hinge, OkCupid, The League, Plenty of Fish, and others—he also runs operations at Tinder.
According to the company, early results of Face Check—created in partnership with the global 3D face liveness and matching software company FaceTec—have led to considerable decline in potential harm from romance scammers. The tech is already available in Colombia, Canada, Australia, India, and parts of Southeast Asia. Tinder claims there has been a 40 percent decrease in “bad actor reports.” The company is committed to “responsible innovation,” Rascoff said in a news release.
Tinder was the big bang of dating apps when it launched in 2012, introducing singles to an era of endless swipes and revolutionizing the dating landscape. Today, however, young people spend less time online swiping for love. In 2024, millennials spent an average of 56 minutes a day on dating apps (down from 90 minutes in 2018). According to a WIRED investigation, Tinder has taken a considerable hit when it comes to where singles spend their time. “While total dating app downloads worldwide have remained above 120 million annually since 2020, the Tinder slice of that download pie has gotten smaller,” WIRED reported this year. In 2024, the app experienced a 7 percent decline in paying users, according to Business Insider.
Starting next year, Match Group said plans to roll out Face Check across other apps in its portfolio.
Compared to dating apps, Roth says, “the balance of privacy is different on a platform focused on speech. In the context of apps that are built to connect people in the real world, we think that there’s not only a moral imperative, but a business imperative to prioritize and build for safety.”
