Is Tinder swiping left on civil rights?
The dating app’s users are claiming on social media they were suspended from using the service for promoting Black Lives Matter amid the nationwide upheaval over the death of George Floyd and other unarmed black men and women by police. The alleged digital purges come less than two weeks after the matching service voiced support for BLM on Twitter.
Tinder users had been using the platform to urge their matches to raise funds for protesters, disseminate petitions and join the police brutality demonstrations, with some even offering to swap nude pics for donations.
Unfortunately, the hookup hub allegedly blocked their online campaigns, banning BLM advocates for soliciting donations sans an explanation, according to online complaints.
“I got banned from tinder for asking guys to donate to my donor drive,” claimed one flabbergasted Twitter user of their surprise suspension.
Another griped, “dope but y’all also banned me for posting a black LGBTQ+ fundraiser I created.”
Many Tinder users complained they received the boot for simply aligning their dating bio with BLM. One aggrieved Tweeter told Business Insider that she was jettisoned for writing “honorary mention to everyone destroying the relics of colonist and slavery pasts. You’re doing amazing sweetie” in her profile description. She claims that the matching service only reinstated her account after she deleted the status and filed a formal complaint.
A Tinder spokesperson told The Post that “from time to time, our members use Tinder to engage with topics they care about. And while our community guidelines state that we may remove accounts used for promotional purposes, we are dedicated to enforcing our guidelines in line with our values.”
The spokesperson added that the company wants its platform to be a place where members can voice their support for Black Lives Matter and is “actively working to address any issues related to account moderation at this time and encourage anyone that believes they were wrongfully removed to email questions@gotinder.com.”
Currently, Tinder prohibits “solicitation,” although they allow inviting “matches to something you’re doing” provided that advertising isn’t the sole purpose of the account, per the community guidelines.
Fortunately, it appears user complaints haven’t fallen on deaf ears. Tinder told BuzzFeed News Sunday that they would stop blocking users for raising funds for Black Lives Matter — although they never disclosed why they had banned them in the first place.
Social-media sites have been integral in helping raise tens of millions dollars for George Floyd’s memorial, protester bail expenses and other BLM-adjacent causes, reports BuzzFeed News.
And while Tinder might seem like an unorthodox fund-raising platform, this isn’t the first time the dating service has been used for a purpose other than hanky-panky. In March, Gold and Premium members made headlines after using the online wingman to glean coronavirus info from their matches living in China.