Members of the LGBTQ community in Australia have accused Grindr of not having enough security features in place to protect users from accused sexual predators.
The update is the latest from a series of investigations from ‘Triple J Hack’ into the online dating industry. It accused Tinder of not doing enough to respond to reports of sexual harassment two weeks ago. Since then, the Match Group-owned dating app has updated its security procedures to offer more support to victims.
More than 500 listeners have now responded to the callout and some Grindr users have raised concerns about ongoing harassment.
One participant called Jack explained how they were raped by a man they’d met on the app. However, despite blocking them immediately, the accused attacker was able to continue messaging Jack for three years by simply creating new accounts.
Grindr only requires a unique email address to be supplied for a new account, with no other verification methods necessary.
Free users are only allowed to block 10 profiles per day, with unlimited blocks only available for premium members.
Joel Murray from the AIDS Council of New South Wales (ACON) stated that safety should not be a luxury that online daters need to pay for, and asked Grindr to use its wealth of resources to offer a safer space for the community to interact.
The gay dating app’s representatives declined to respond with a comment to numerous approaches from Triple J Hack.
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