Dating applications Tinder and Bumble are playing a part in identifying US Capitol rioters, by using images taken from inside the siege—a move that is leading to them being banned on both platforms.
According to The Washington Post, women as well as men have in certain instances turned Tinder and Bumble into “hunting grounds” by striking conversation with rioters and then gathering incriminating information—photos and confessions—that is passed on to the FBI.
Incredibly, this has become a viral pursuit, The Post reports, with tips to pursue members of the capitol riot shared on Twitter. Some women have reportedly changed their locations on the dating apps to Washington, DC, in the hopes of catching potential suspects.
https://twitter.com/DrLisaCorrigan/status/1349542291636150281?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1349542291636150281%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnet.com%2Fnews%2Ftinder-and-bumble-are-kicking-capitol-rioters-off-dating-apps%2F
Moreover, both Bumble and Match Group (which owns Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, PlentyofFish and Match) said they were working to remove users known to be involved in the Capitol siege from their platforms.
“We always encourage our community to block and report anyone who is acting against our guidelines, and we have already banned users who have used our platform to spread insurrectionist content or who have attempted to organize and incite terrorism,” Bumble said in a statement, via The Post.
“As always, if someone has or is in the process of committing a potentially criminal act on our platform, we will take the appropriate steps with law enforcement.”
Match Group said it had banned accounts based on its rules against promoting or inciting violence. Speaking to The Post, Match spokeswoman Vidhya Murugesan declined to say how many had been punished in this way.
“We have, and will continue, to ban any users wanted by the FBI in connection with domestic terrorism from all of our brands, and we always cooperate with law enforcement in their investigations,” Murugesan told The Post.
More than 100 people have thus far been arrested in connection with the Capitol riots, and hundreds of other cases remain under investigation. Five people were killed at the riots.
Featured image source: iStock/Stephen Emlund
