Tinder launches mandatory facial verification feature for new users in Singapore

Dating and social networking app Tinder is stepping up security with mandatory facial verification for new users in Singapore, Tinder's parent company Match Group announced on Wednesday (April 8).

The verification feature, known as Face Check, requires new users to complete a mandatory video selfie as they set up their profile.

This video is then compared against profile photographs taken in order to determine that the new user is not using someone else's photos to create the account.

Once verified, the new user will receive a "Photo Verified" badge that will be visible to other users on the platform.

Face Check will also be able to detect if a user's face has been used across multiple accounts, decreasing the likelihood of coming across an account impersonating someone else.

Match Group also assured users that video selfies are used only to complete the verification process and are deleted shortly after review.

A non-reversible, encrypted face map and face vector are stored solely to help verify new photos, detect fraud, and prevent duplicate accounts, the group said.

Match Group's senior vice-president of trust and safety Yoel Roth described Face Check as an "important new tool" in combating fake profiles, bots and fraud in Singapore, at a time when "online authenticity has never been more important".

"It directly addresses one of the hardest problems online, knowing whether someone is who they claim to be, so that real users can focus on building meaningful connections," he added.

Singapore isn't the only country where Face Check has been implemented — US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam have also rolled out the feature.

Addressing the launch of Face Check in the UK late March, Roth explained in a LinkedIn post that Face Check is designed to help "confirm that people are who they say they are", and that they match their profile photos.

He also said that the feature is "already making a difference", with a 60 per cent reduction in exposure to potential bad actors and a 40 per cent decrease in impersonation reports in countries where Face Check is live.

According to the Singapore Police Force's annual scam and cybercrime brief 2025, internet love scams saw an increase from 852 cases reported in 2024 to 917 in 2025.

Despite the increase, the total approximate amount of money lost to this scam decreased from $27.6 million in 2024 to $24.9 million in 2025. 

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khooyihang@asiaone.com