<ul><li><keyword id="819905" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="instagram" source="Orion">Instagram</keyword> has started asking users to verify their identity through video selfies.</li><li>This feature is aimed at tackling bots and fake accounts on Instagram.</li><li>But it looks like the face verification system isn’t very smart.</li></ul>Instagram wants to tackle fake profiles and bots through video selfies to verify accounts. This feature, as the name suggests, will require new users to verify their identity by taking a short selfie video. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/instagram-reportedly-asking-users-for-video-selfies-to-verify-identity/articleshow/87750666.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Instagram</a> will then analyse the video to determine if you are a real person. This sounds like an effective way to deal with fake accounts but it looks like Instagram’s face detection system isn’t very smart yet. In a video shared by Alexander Chalkidis on YouTube, Instagram’s video selfie feature is seen being easily fooled by a Barbie doll. Chalkidis demonstrated using a Barbie doll for the selfie video where you basically have to move your face slowly in different directions to verify your identity. Once the video was recorded, Chalkidis submitted the video and Instagram verified it proving that Instagram’s face detection system can be fooled easily. <div type="Youtube" id="qJ-d6FRmOhQ" title="Instagram biometric fooled by female Barbie" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qJ-d6FRmOhQ/mqdefault.jpg"></div> Instagram also doesn’t take into account the gender of the account. This was tried again with a Barbie Ken doll and Instagram was successfully fooled again. It looks like there are still many loopholes with Instagram’s video selfie verification. This isn’t the first time Instagram introduced this feature. Last year when it launched video selfie verification, users complained that the app couldn’t verify their identity. The video selfie verification is a way for Instagram to tackle bot or fake accounts on the platform. If Instagram suspects a possible bot account that “likes lots of posts or follows a ton of accounts in a matter of seconds”, then it could be asked to verify through this feature. Instagram also said that its teams review video selfies, and that the videos are deleted within 30 days. But more than privacy, Instagram should probably focus on making the system smarter. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/instagram-reportedly-asking-users-for-video-selfies-to-verify-identity/articleshow/87750666.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Instagram reportedly asking users for video selfies to verify identity</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/octi-social-media-app-with-nfts-metaverse-and-digital-coins-launched/articleshow/87756055.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat have a new rival called ‘Octi’ — an app that has NFTs, the metaverse and digital coins</a>

Instagram’s video selfie verification feature can be easily tricked with a Barbie doll

Meta-owned <keyword id="819905" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="instagram" source="Orion">Instagram</keyword> has brought its new test for users to verify their age via an original ID or video selfie to India, amid growing worries that kids are using fake dates of birth to create profiles on social media platforms. If someone attempts to edit their date of birth on Instagram from under the age of 18 to 18, or over, in India, the company will now require them to verify their age using one of two options: upload their ID or record a video selfie. "We're testing this so we can make sure teens and adults are in the right experience for their age group. Testing began in June this year in the US, and now it's expanding to India and Brazil," the company said. The company plans to expand the test to the UK and the EU before the end of the year. "We're also removing Social Vouching as an option to verify age from the test to make some improvements," Instagram added. The Social Vouching option allowed users to ask mutual followers to confirm how old they were. The three people they selected to vouch for them received a request to confirm their age and needed to respond within three days. Now, those part of the test can choose to upload a video selfie to verify their age in India. "If you choose this option, you'll see instructions on your screen to guide you. After you take a video selfie, we share the image with Yoti, and nothing else. Yoti's technology estimates your age based on your facial features and shares that estimate with us," according to Instagram. Yoti is a company that offers privacy-preserving ways to verify age. "Meta and Yoti then delete the image. The technology cannot recognize your identity - just your age," it added. The company requires people to be at least 13 years old to sign up for Instagram. Earlier this week, the UK's media watchdog Ofcom said that more than one-third of children between age 8 and 17 are using various social media platforms after signing up with fake dates of birth. "Our latest research shows that most (77 per cent) social media users aged between eight and 17 have their own account or profile on at least one of the large social media platforms," Ofcom said in a statement. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/after-a-credit-card-apple-launches-savings-account-service-in-partnership-with-goldman-sachsheres-what-it-means/articleshow/94852629.cms">After a credit card, Apple launches savings account service in partnership with Goldman Sachs — here’s what it means</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/these-are-the-5g-bands-supported-by-airtel-and-jio/articleshow/94814497.cms">These are the 5G bands supported by Airtel and Jio – make sure your phone has</a>

Soon, you won't be able to fake your age on Instagram

Meta-owned photo-sharing app <keyword id="819905" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="instagram" source="Orion">Instagram</keyword> is reportedly asking some users to provide a <keyword id="3562057" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="video-selfie" source="Orion">video selfie</keyword> showing multiple angles of their face to verify the account. According to XDA Developers, multiple users have reported being asked to take a video selfie to verify their existing accounts. The company started testing the feature last year but ran into technical issues. <keyword id="399907" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="meta" source="Orion">Meta</keyword> is looking to this feature to reduce the number of fake or spam accounts on the platform. Once the video is recorded, users will need to submit the video to platform for confirmation of identity. As per report, this video will never be visible on Instagram and will be deleted from the servers within 30 days. Meanwhile, Instagram is testing a new feature called 'Take a Break' to encourage people to take regular breaks from using the Meta-owned photo-sharing app. According to Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, the long-awaited 'Take a Break' feature will remind users when they have spent a long time on the platform. 'Take a Break' is expected to be more widely available in December, Mosseri added. The new feature comes amid increased criticism that Instagram is harmful to its teen users. Recently, American whistleblower Frances Haugen revealed how popular social media apps can adversely affect young people's mental health. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/how-to/how-to-clean-your-airpods-and-their-case-to-improve-audio-quality-and-kill-germs/articleshow/80257163.cms">How to clean your AirPods to remove earwax and improve audio quality</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/apple-ipad-helps-locate-father-and-daughter-after-a-plane-crash/articleshow/87750553.cms">A signal from Apple iPad saves a father and daughter after a plane crash</a>

Instagram reportedly asking users for video selfies to verify identity

<ul><li><keyword id="819905" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="instagram" source="Orion">Instagram</keyword> is testing new options to verify your age.</li><li>Users under the age of 18 or over 18 will require to verify their age.</li><li>According to Instagram, stored driving license information will be deleted within 30 days.</li></ul>Meta-owned Instagram on Thursday said it is testing new options for people to verify their age by uploading an ID like driver's license or ID card, along with other methods in a bid to provide age-appropriate experiences on the platform. Starting with the US, if someone attempts to edit their date of birth on Instagram from under the age of 18 to 18 or over, Instagram will require them to verify their age. They can verify their age by uploading their ID, record a video selfie or ask mutual friends to verify the age. The person vouching must be at least 18 years old and must not be vouching for anyone else at that time. "We're testing this so we can make sure teens and adults are in the right experience for their age group. We are also partnering with Yoti, a company that specializes in online age verification, to help ensure people's privacy," the company said in a statement. "Your ID will be stored securely on our servers and is deleted within 30 days," it added. The users can choose to upload a video selfie to verify their age. "After you take a video selfie, we share the image with Yoti, and nothing else. The technology cannot recognize your identity - just your age," informed the company. In 2019, Instagram first began asking people to provide their age when signing up. "We require people to be at least 13 years old to sign up for Instagram. In some countries, our minimum age is higher," said Instagram. For teenagers (age 13-17), Instagram provides them with age-appropriate experiences like defaulting them into private accounts, preventing unwanted contact from adults they don't know and limiting the options advertisers have to reach them with ads. "If you choose to upload a video selfie to verify your age, Meta and Yoti delete it once your age is confirmed. Your video is not used for anything else other than to verify your age. If you choose to upload an ID, after you send us a copy of your ID, it'll be encrypted and stored securely," said Instagram. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/isros-latest-communication-satellite-g[%E2%80%A6]24-launched-check-all-details-here/slidelist/92412077.cms">ISRO’s latest communication satellite GSAT-24 launched - check all details here</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/how-to-change-upi-pin-in-google-pay/articleshow/92411354.cms">How to change UPI pin in Google Pay</a>

Instagram could soon ask for your driving license to verify your age

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11892996" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="instagram" source="Orion">Instagram</keyword> said it's trying out new ways to verify users' ages, including scanning their faces.</li><li>Alternatively, users can also have three friends vouch for their age or upload images of their IDs.</li></ul>Instagram is testing out new ways to verify users' ages, including scanning their faces.The company <a href="https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/new-ways-to-verify-age-on-instagram">announced</a> the trial, which began on June 23 and is currently only being rolled out in the US, in a blog post. The trial is focused on users who try to change their age on the app from under 18 to over 18. Those users have three ways to verify their age: upload a photo of their ID, ask three mutual friends verify their age, or record a video selfie.If a user selects the video selfie method, Instagram passes the videos to a London-based identity-verification startup, <keyword id="14291748" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="yoti" source="Orion">Yoti</keyword>. Yoti will scan the user's facial features in the videos to confirm their ages, the company said.Both Yoti and Instagram will delete the data once they've verified the user's age, per the announcement. The London startup's algorithm only verifies the user's age and not their identity, Instagram wrote, quoting a <a href="https://www.yoti.com/wp-content/uploads/Yoti-Age-Estimation-White-Paper-Executive-Summary-May-2022.pdf">whitepaper from Yoti</a>.Instagram said the process will allow it to offer age-appropriate content for its users."Understanding someone's age online is a complex, industry-wide challenge. We want to work with others in our industry, and with governments, to set clear standards for age verification online," the company wrote in the blog post.If a user chooses to submit a photo of their ID to confirm their age, the image will be deleted after 30 days, the company said.Instagram has come under fire from parents and critics who say the company exposes minors to harmful content. In 2019, Instagram started <a href="https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/making-instagram-safer-for-the-youngest-members-of-our-community">checking users' ages</a> to prevent people under the age of 13 from creating accounts. In August, it started <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2021/08/asking-people-for-their-birthday-on-instagram/">asking existing users</a> to provide their birthdays. And in September, Facebook — which owns Instagram has since been renamed Meta — <a href="https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/pausing-instagram-kids">suspended the launch of Instagram Kids</a>, a version of the app it had been building for children under the age of 13.Other social media companies have also been scanning users' faces to bar minors from using their platforms. French social-networking site <a href="https://www.yubo.live/blog/yubos-new-age-verification-feature-helps-keep-you-safe">Yubo</a> said in May it was partnering with Yoti to capture images of users' faces to identify minors. China's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tencent-scans-childrens-faces-to-limit-gaming-hours-2022-1">Tencent</a> said in January that it would study users' faces when they log on in order to limit children's gaming time on its platform.

Instagram is testing out a trial in which it scans users' faces for proof they are over 18 years old

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c40cb2a0279e345477be7f6-2400/ap18289502162284.jpg" border="0" alt="instagram influencers milan restaurant" data-mce-source="AP Photo/Luca Bruno" />AP Photo/Luca Bruno</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/instagram">Instagram</a> influencers with thousands of followers are getting their accounts hacked and held for ransom.</li><li>Hacked influencers <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/59vnvk/hacked-instagram-influencers-get-accounts-back-white-hat-hackers">told VICE's Motherboard</a> that Instagram has been slow to give them back their accounts, even after creators followed necessary steps for account recovery.</li><li>Some influencers have turned to 'white-hat' hackers to get their Instagram accounts returned to them, after being unsatisfied with Instagram's slow process.</li></ul>Internet celebrities who have seen their Instagram accounts hacked and personal information compromised say they've had to hack back in order to get their profiles returned.Several "influencers" <a href="https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/59vnvk/hacked-instagram-influencers-get-accounts-back-white-hat-hackers">told VICE's Motherboard</a> that Instagram's process to regain control of their accounts is so slow and difficult they've been forced to find alternative means to recover their profiles. Despite repeated calls and emails to Instagram to help them out, hacked influencers say they only get unhelpful automated emails in return.Influencers on social <keyword id="6354777" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Media">media</keyword> have turned their online activity into lucrative full-time jobs, hawking products from advertisers to tens of thousands of followers. These social media accounts, on platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, have become key to their livelihoods and hackers have taken notice. "I had an emotional breakdown," influencer Cassie Gallegos <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180927190843/http://www.theadventurebitch.com/hacked/">wrote in a blog post</a>. "I had worked so hard to become an influencer, to make the life I wanted to be living, I had partnerships with Hotels.com, PierHouse Key West, Dick's Sporting Goods, Living Proof lined up to name a few. GONE. ALL OF MY WORK WAS GONE."According to the Motherboard report, many hackers gain access to influencers' accounts by posing as brands interested in sponsoring or <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword>. Using emails containing phishing links, hackers access an influencer's Instagram account and change the email and password, which then locks out the account's rightful owner.But when affected influencers have reached out to Instagram to recover their accounts, the Facebook-owned platform has reportedly been unhelpful. <a href="https://help.instagram.com/149494825257596?helpref=faq_content">Instagram's policies say</a> that without an account's email and password, users need to go through a verification process to ensure the user is actually the account owner. The process includes taking a selfie with a code Instagram sends directly to them written on a piece of paper.Despite following appropriate steps, influencers told Motherboard their efforts were "to no avail." One Instagram influencer <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20180928125743/https://brainsoverblonde.com/instagram-digital-content-hackers/">said in a blog post</a> she only gained back her account after fans and others also reached out to Instagram and piled on the pressure.Instead, users have turned to "third-party social media experts" and "white-hat hackers" to help them recover their accounts. One such expert told Motherboard he has tricks to speed up the progress on Instagram's end in recovering an account. Another method is identifying the person behind the hack, and then hacking that person as well in order to get the account back."We know that losing access to your account can be a distressing experience," an Instagram spokesperson said in a statement. "We have sophisticated measures in place to stop bad actors in their tracks before they gain access to accounts, as well as measures to help people recover their accounts."<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/stories-slide-deck?IR=T&amp;utm_source=businessinsider&amp;utm_medium=ctgr&amp;utm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_content=dmedia_ctgr_leadgen&amp;utm_campaign=dmedia_ctgr_leadgen_stories_deck"><img src="https://media-bii.businessinsider.com/images/5bd071e7a4f8be0d9675c6b9-960-192.png" alt="Exclusive FREE Slide Deck: Stories by Business Insider Intelligence" border="0" style="width: 100% !important" /></a> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-photos-apple-icloud-iphone-storage-space-2018-12">I switched to Google Photos after using iCloud for 5 years and I'm never going back</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/F6IMTTZJ-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

Instagram influencers are so overwhelmed by hackers, they're hiring hackers of their own to get their accounts back

<ul class="summary-list"><li>One-fifth of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/golden-age-gig-work-instacart-doordash-delivery-jobs-over-2023-12">food delivery</a> accounts have been targets of hacking attempts, Sift found.</li><li>The companies behind the apps use two-factor authentication less often than in other industries.</li></ul>Your <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-delivery-driver-gets-big-tips-declines-orders-wealthy-areas-2023-4">DoorDash</a> or other food delivery apps are a prime target for hackers.About 20% of accounts for ordering and delivering restaurant food have been subject to an attempted account takeover by a hacker, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://sift.com/blog/expanding-fibr-with-account-takeover-and-two-factor-authentication-trend-data">Sift</a>, a company that detects online fraud. That's much higher than the 2.5% average across all the industries Sift tracks, from cryptocurrency to transportation.One reason: food delivery apps use two-factor authentication — like those codes texted to you before you can log in — less often than other kinds, Sift found. Just 3.5% of log-ins on food delivery apps asked for that kind of verification, making it easier for hackers to get in. Across all the apps that Sift tracks, that number was 10%."I know I have a few apps on my phone for food delivery, and none of them forced me to do any kind of step-up authentication," Brittany Allen, trust &amp; safety architect at Sift, told Business Insider."For your bank, you're happy to have to show your fingerprint, get a text, enter a code, and go through a couple of steps," she said. Food delivery companies don't always ask the same when their customers log in, Allen added, though the accounts often contain valuable things for hackers, such as account balances and loyalty points.Hackers also target food delivery accounts since many customers only use them periodically — meaning they're less likely to notice if someone takes control. "If you're not a power user, that's something that is even more attractive" to hackers, Allen said.Once they have control, hackers can use the accounts to place orders or mine them for loyalty points. They can also sell them. Allen showed BI several channels on messaging app Telegram that purported to sell accounts for DoorDash, Instacart, and other delivery services.Accounts are also advertised for sale on social media platforms like <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-spark-delivery-accounts-go-for-hundreds-dollars-social-media-2023-9">Meta's Facebook and Instagram</a>, though some of the posts are running a different kind of scam: Taking buyers' money, then not sending anything in return, BI reported previously.Increasingly, fraudsters don't need deep knowledge of technology or fancy equipment to steal accounts, Allen said. Many use a regular computer or smartphone. "You don't need a specialized tool or any kind of high-powered configuration," she said.Hackers are nothing new for many of the delivery apps. Some <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/instacart-shoppers-customers-getting-hit-by-gift-card-scam-2024-5">hackers have been able to gain entry to some Instacart customers' accounts</a>, for example, and then use them to obtain gift card codes without paying for them.Gig workers' accounts are also a target. Some drivers for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hackers-targeting-walmart-spark-drivers-accounts-shopping-delivery-service-2024-2">Walmart's Spark delivery service have had their accounts hacked</a>. The accounts have then been used by others to shop and deliver orders through the service, drivers have told BI.The apps have taken some steps to improve security. Last fall, for instance, Walmart started requiring <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-id-tool-spark-drivers-shutting-out-legitimate-workers-app-2024-2">Spark drivers to periodically verify their identity with a selfie</a> — though the feature has malfunctioned for some legitimate drivers, kicking them off of the app.Do you work for DoorDash, Instacart, Uber Eats, or another gig delivery service and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com

Hackers really, really like trying to take over your food delivery apps

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Posts claiming to sell Walmart Spark driver accounts are popping up on social media.</li><li>The accounts can go for hundreds of dollars depending on whether they're bought or rented.</li></ul>If you want to work for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-wants-associates-do-more-deliveries-spark-drivers-gig-work-2023-9">Walmart's Spark delivery service,</a> you have to sign up and get approved. That can take weeks or months, since many parts of the US have waiting lists full of potential Spark drivers.There's an alternative, albeit one that violates Walmart's policies: You can message an account on Facebook or Instagram, and someone on the other end will set you up with an account right away for the right price — usually hundreds of dollars.A quick perusal of social media groups for Spark drivers reveals dozens of posts advertising driver accounts for Walmart's independent contractor-based delivery service. It's one way that some drivers appear to be getting accounts in names other than their own.The posts offering accounts are particularly common on Instagram. You can also find them on some Facebook groups for Spark drivers.<h2>Drivers can rent or buy Spark accounts for hundreds of dollars</h2>One post, made in July in the now-archived Facebook group "Spark Driver en Español," which has about 8,200 members, tells drivers to message a specific account on Instagram to buy or rent a Spark account.<div type="image" title="A screenshot of a Facebook post in the &quot;Spark driver en espanol&quot; Facebook group shows a Spanish-language post advertising Walmart Spark accounts for sale and rent, as well as software that it says can grab orders automatically. A blue-and-turoquoise graph at the bottom of the post shows a weekly earnings total of $1,718.97. " height="2139" width="1169" msid="104067438" hostid="261" sizebytes="121926"></div>The account also claims to sell a "bot grabber," or an app that allows users to automatically claim orders, as well as help getting reactivated, according to the post.Another post from the same group promises accounts for would-be drivers even if they don't have "papers," seemingly a reference to people who don't have legal status in the US."We have new SPARK accounts for sell, send us a message right now and get your yourself new SPARK account," another post from an Instagram account with 5,400 followers says. "Very affordable."<div type="image" title="A post from Instagram shows $262 in earnings for four hours and 15 minutes of work as well as a caption advertising Spark accounts for sale." height="2286" width="1169" msid="104067439" hostid="261" sizebytes="64546"></div>Prices for the accounts vary based on whether drivers want to rent or buy them.A Spark driver in Illinois shared screenshots with Insider showing text message conversations with someone behind one of the many posts in the Spark driver Facebook groups.The person on the other end quoted the driver $350 to buy a Spark account, according to the messages. The person also offered the driver the option of renting out the account at a weekly rate ($80) or a monthly one ($160)."I could have gotten an account in less than a day," the Illinois driver told Insider. The driver declined to have his full name appear in this article due to potential retaliation from Walmart, but his identity is known to Insider.<h2>Spark drivers using multiple accounts are common at Walmart stores, drivers have told Insider</h2>"Drivers selling or sharing personal or account information is against the Spark Driver platform terms of use and will result in deactivation from the platform," a Walmart spokesperson told Insider, adding that the retailer uses "manual and automated tools to identify and prevent this behavior.""Where appropriate, we request the removal of these posts from social platforms and deactivate drivers who are confirmed to be violating the terms of use in this way," the spokesperson added.The spokesperson also confirmed that Walmart is still rolling out a third-party identity verification feature in its app that compares selfies that drivers are required to take with previously submitted photo ID cards.Insider reported in August that Walmart was rolling out the feature, though only for Spark contractors in certain areas. The app also asked some drivers to verify themselves every few days or weeks, according to three drivers Insider spoke with. The Walmart spokesperson did not directly address Insider's questions about whether the feature was operating nationwide yet.Spark drivers around the US previously told Insider that they see their peers using <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-spark-delivery-app-multiple-accounts-names-verify-identity-2023-8">two or three different names to pick up orders at Walmart.</a> The strategy means that a single driver can theoretically take multiple orders or groups of orders at once, according to the drivers Insider spoke with, all of whom only use accounts in their own name. Drivers' earnings are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8vq28EzgUs&amp;t=3s">deposited</a> into a digital wallet.Walmart previously told Insider that "sharing accounts, using another person's account, activating multiple accounts, or entering false information" violates its terms for Spark drivers.Do you work for Spark or Walmart and want to share information about fraudulent drivers or other aspects of the service? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@insider.com

Some Walmart delivery drivers are buying their credentials online — letting anyone deliver goods to your door 

Hello, readers. Hallam Bullock here, reporting from London. I don't suppose you've seen my Twitter profile's blue check? <a href="https://twitter.com/hallam_bullock" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It seems to have gone missing</a>. Twitter's owner, Elon Musk, last week began removing blue verification check marks from users who have not signed up for its subscription service (including yours truly). But he since appears to have changed his mind, instead giving certain celebrities the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-trolls-twitter-users-complaining-about-free-blue-checkmarks-2023-4">check marks for free</a> (not including yours truly).<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-chaos-elon-musk-lash-out-blue-check-reversal-2023-4">Chaos has ensued</a>. Dead celebrities were among those to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-blue-adding-a-verified-check-mark-to-dead-celebrities-2023-4">initially receive the verification badges</a>, including Kobe Bryant, Chadwick Boseman, and Michael Jackson. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-gives-gold-checkmark-random-troll-pretending-disney-2023-4">A troll account</a> impersonating a Disney TV channel even got a gold check mark, posted a racial slur, and then lost the check mark. And, of course, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-memes-about-elon-musk-twitter-blue-chaos-2023-4">memes abound</a>.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-memes-about-elon-musk-twitter-blue-chaos-2023-4">Here's the latest on the Twitter mayhem</a> — now, let's take a look at today's top stories.<hr />If this was forwarded to you, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/10-things-in-tech">sign up here</a>. Download Insider's app <a href="https://link.insider.com/click/27645591.160803/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5zaWRlci5jb20vYXBwP25yX2VtYWlsX3JlZmVyZXI9MSZ1dG1fc291cmNlPVNhaWx0aHJ1JnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NvbnRlbnQ9T3BlbmluZ19iZWxs/62667762063d6b9bef0cffb3Bf9c9aa56" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here.</a><hr /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3-charts-show-apples-risks-and-opportunities-in-india-2023-4"></a>1. Tim Cook is bullish on India being the new China for Apple. The opening of Apple's first store in India attracted queues of around 300 people, with customers stopping to take selfies with a beaming Cook. <ul><li>It comes 14 years after Apple first opened a store in China, and it's since seen <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3-charts-show-apples-risks-and-opportunities-in-india-2023-4">impressive growth in the country</a>. Cook is now hoping that India will present the company with a similar opportunity. </li></ul><ul><li>"I see a lot of similarities to where China was several years ago. And so I'm very, very bullish and very, very optimistic about India," Cook told investors in 2017.</li></ul><ul><li>Is he right? We pulled together <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3-charts-show-apples-risks-and-opportunities-in-india-2023-4">three charts</a> breaking down Apple's risk and opportunity in India.</li></ul><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/3-charts-show-apples-risks-and-opportunities-in-india-2023-4">How India differs — and why that could pose problems</a>. <hr />In other news:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-use-chatgpt-write-bedtime-stories-my-5-year-old-2023-4"></a><div type="image" title="boy sleeping in bedroom" height="3297" width="4396" msid="99760850" hostid="261" sizebytes="94446"></div>2. A new device can project phone calls onto the palm of your hand. Forget wearables or phones. Your hand is the latest frontier of tech devices. A former Apple employee demonstrated their AI-powered invention during the 2023 annual TED conference. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/humane-ai-device-projects-phone-call-hand-former-apple-designer-2023-4">Check out the handy creation here.</a>3. Insider's London bureau chief uses ChatGPT to write stories for her five-year-old son. "Wow, that's like magic," Spriha Srivastava's son screamed as the chatbot finished writing a story about Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and him. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/i-use-chatgpt-write-bedtime-stories-my-5-year-old-2023-4">How ChatGPT helps make bedtime fun, innovative, and less stressful. </a>4. We crunched the numbers to see which major tech firms have reduced their headcount the most. Twitter has been the most cutthroat, cutting around 80% of its staff since 2022. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-is-second-most-brutal-chopper-of-big-tech-firms-2023-4">Here's how other Big Tech companies measure up</a>. 5. How to strike sponsorship deals with brands. A TikTok and Instagram creator with over 1 million followers shared the email template and slideshow he uses to secure brand deals. He also revealed his top six tips for cold pitching, including to aim high (such as contacting C-suite execs). <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-instagram-creator-brand-deals-pitch-email-outreach-template-2023-4">Get his strategy here.</a>6. Snapchat's ChatGPT competitor has some "horrifying" answers. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chatgpt-coming-to-snapchat-my-ai-tech-companies-race-2023-2">My AI</a> has been accused of lying, gaslighting, and being creepy to users. So, Insider's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/jordan-hart">Jordan Hart</a> tested it out for herself. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/snapchats-my-ai-scary-and-comforting-users-say-evan-spiegel-2023-4">Here's how the experiment went.</a>7. China's Tesla rival unveiled a Model Y competitor. XPeng just released its fifth electric vehicle model, called the G6. It's a sleek, quick-charging SUV that gets more than 450 miles on a full charge. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xpeng-g6-electric-suv-469-mile-range-tesla-model-y-2023-4">Check it out here.</a>8. The worst ways to earn a passive income. This entrepreneur has tried dozens of side hustles. Some worked, while others left her with less money than before. She now makes six figures and shares the worst methods, including flipping products and running ads. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worst-ways-earn-passive-income-that-will-cost-you-2023-4">Check out the full list here.</a>Odds and ends:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/man-dad-turning-home-depot-shed-oversized-tiny-home-2023-4"></a><div type="image" title="The Home Depot shed after renovation, but not finished." height="1200" width="1600" msid="99760852" hostid="261" sizebytes="327128"></div>9. Turning an abandoned Home Depot shed into an oversized tiny home. This 23-year-old and his dad are converting a $5,250 shed into a "fantastic retreat." They took Insider behind-the-scenes with them on their journey. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/man-dad-turning-home-depot-shed-oversized-tiny-home-2023-4">Get the full house tour here.</a>10. Where the ultra-wealthy enjoy buying second homes. Coastal and mountain towns are favored seasonal retreats for the wealthy, including Miami, Aspen, and Paris. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-popular-places-ultra-wealthy-own-second-homes-list-photos-2023-4">Check out all 27 popular places among the ultra-wealthy here.</a><hr />Today's team: Hallam Bullock and Shona Ghosh in London.

Apple opens its first bricks-and-mortar store in India

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="1738241" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tinder">Tinder</keyword> users have access to several safety features, intended to protect users while they're matching.</li><li>These safety features include message screening tools, a panic button to use on dates, and photo verification.</li><li>Tinder also has an <keyword id="6556275" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="online-safety">online Safety</keyword> Center, where you can get tips on how to stay safe and report harassment.</li></ul>In the past two years, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-tinder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tinder</a> has faced a number of controversies concerning safety issues on the dating app. Users have routinely been tricked by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-gender-changing-filter-tinder-catfish-2019-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">catfishers</a>, and in 2019, a <a href="https://www.insider.com/grace-millane-new-zealand-suspect-arranged-new-tinder-date-2019-11" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backpacker was murdered</a> by someone she met through Tinder. That's why in 2020, Tinder's parent company <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-match-group-history-of-tinder-parent-company-2021-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Match Group</a> announced it would implement <a href="https://blog.gotinder.com/tinder-introduces-safety-updates/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">safety measures</a> to address the problems users flagged over the years. Among these features are the Tinder Safety Center, a panic button, and photo verification.Here's where to find each safety feature on Tinder and how to use it. <h2>The Tinder Safety Center</h2>The Tinder Safety Center is the central hub for all the app's safety features. It provides guides, tools, quizzes, and resources on how to keep yourself safe. To access the Safety Center, open your profile, then tap on the shield-like button labeled "Safety." <div type="image" title="Tinder 4" height="1296" width="1620" msid="82459925" hostid="261"></div>The Guides section provides user quizzes, tips, and information on dealing with scenarios around consent, sexual abuse, harassment, and safety basics when using Tinder.Featured quizzes cover online and real-life dating safety and a tip sheet on the do's and don'ts of using Tinder while traveling, while guides cover issues like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-ghosting-2015-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ghosting</a> and when and how to report harassment before and after matching. Under the Tools tab, options go beyond preparing you to be safe and instead focus on how to help you respond to events or protect yourself on the app and in real life. That includes how to report a profile, photo verification, privacy settings, getting unmatched, and the crisis text line. <div type="image" title="Tinder 2" height="1536" width="1920" msid="82459931" hostid="261"></div>And if you're looking for support, the Resources section offers numerous hotline numbers for various members of the Tinder community. Among them are RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective, Trans Lifeline, LGBT National Help Center, Planned Parenthood, and Crisis Text Line.<h2>Photo verification</h2>To limit the activity of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tinders-spam-problem-2014-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fake profiles</a> on the site, Tinder encourages users to verify their profiles with a blue checkmark. And rest assured, the blue checkmark is much easier to acquire than on platforms like Twitter or Instagram. All you have to do is take two selfies, and you're verified. <h3>How to get verified on Tinder </h3><ol><li>Open the Tinder app on a mobile device.</li><li>Click on your profile icon in the top right corner of the app. </li><li>Tap on the gray checkmark next to your name. <div type="image" title="Tinder 5" height="548" width="750" msid="82459934" hostid="261"></div></li><li>You'll be prompted to mimic poses provided by Tinder. <div type="image" title="Tinder 6" height="667" width="828" msid="82459936" hostid="261"></div></li><li>Within minutes, your profile should be verified and your checkmark should turn blue. </li></ol><h2>'Does this bother you?' message reporting </h2>People face harassment, prejudice, or discrimination in their daily lives, so it's no surprise these things would follow them onto <keyword id="1557997" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="dating-apps">dating apps</keyword> and into their match messages. But just because they exist doesn't mean you should or have to tolerate them. <div type="image" title="Tinder 8" height="779" width="1238" msid="82459940" hostid="261"></div>With the aid of artificial intelligence and machine learning, Tinder will screen and flag messages they deem inappropriate. Tinder will prompt the user for messages that are flagged, asking, "Does this bother you?" If your response is yes, you'll be able to report the user.<h2>The <keyword id="11219017" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="noonlight">Noonlight</keyword> panic button</h2>If you've matched with someone and decide to meet up with them but don't want to go alone, Noonlight is there to help. Currently only available for Tinder users in North America, the app lets you silently check in when going on a date, with the ability to send notifications to friends or emergency services discreetly.To use this "panic button" feature, you'll need both the Tinder app and Noonlight app downloaded. <h3>How to link Noonlight to your Tinder account</h3><ol><li>Open the chat feature on one of your matches. </li><li>Click on the Noonlight icon next to the chatbox. <div type="image" title="Tinder 5" height="547" width="750" msid="82459942" hostid="261"></div></li><li>Select "Add Noonlight." <div type="image" title="Tinder 7" height="516" width="750" msid="82459944" hostid="261"></div></li><li>To make a Noonlight <a href="https://account.noonlight.com/authorize">account</a>, first confirm your phone number through text message verification. <div type="image" title="Tinder 9" height="1090" width="1830" msid="82459946" hostid="261"></div></li><li>Next, enter your name and email address. <div type="image" title="Tinder 10" height="1050" width="1909" msid="82459952" hostid="261"></div></li><li>Finally, set up a pin that you can use to cancel an alarm.</li></ol><h3>How to set up Noonlight before an in-real-life Tinder date </h3><ol><li>In the Tinder app open, open your chat with the person you're meeting. </li><li>Tap the Noonlight blue circle logo at the bottom of the app screen.</li><li>Next, specify the location and time frame where and when the date will take place. Noonlight will store that information and geo-track your location.</li><li>Choose Add To Timeline to share your date details with Noonlight, which will only be used in the case of an emergency. </li></ol>Once Noonlight is set up and enabled for your IRL date, you can use this panic button when necessary. If you need it, open the Noonlight app, press and the "hold until safe" button, and release it but don't enter your pin. Noonlight will silently notify local police of your location and emergency. If you want to cancel your panic button activation, press and hold the button in the app again and this time, enter your four-digit pin. <h2>Criminal background check </h2>Easily one of the most sensible safety additions to the app, Tinder is taking steps to grant users the ability to run a background check on their matches. <a href="https://www.insider.com/tinder-background-checks-for-matches-to-decrease-gender-violence-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Last month</a> Match Group invested in the not-for-profit, consumer online background check platform <a href="https://www.garbo.io/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Garbo</a> to decrease the number of gender-based crimes associated with the app.The service won't be free, but the cost has yet to be announced by either Garbo and Tinder. The feature is expected to be implemented in Tinder and other Match Group dating apps by the end of this year. <a data-type="601081999ee06432dc76ed1c">What is Tinder? Here's what you should know about the popular dating app</a><a data-type="5f31c85f2618b9383b396dd4">How to block someone on the Tinder app by unmatching from them</a><a data-type="603d6f545c53db25625f9832">What is Bumble? How the dating app differs from its competition, and what it offers women</a><a data-type="603d34fb06adf803ee5a4503">How does Bumble work for men? Here's how Bumble chats differ for men, women, and non-binary users</a>

How to use Tinder's safety tools like the panic button and message screening to stay safe while matching

<ul><li><keyword id="6355629" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="google" source="Orion">Google</keyword> hosted its seventh Google for India event.</li><li>Google shared its plan to help India fast track its digital transformation and the role it wants to play.</li><li>Here are the key highlights from the event.</li></ul>Google hosted its seventh Google for India event and this time the emphasis was on making the internet safer for a billion Indians and empowering the country to become a leading digital economy. The search giant says it wants to play the role of a catalyst as the country is looking to grow in the digital space. During the event, it laid the roadmap of its plans in India and made some major announcements. Here are the key highlights from the event- <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Climate concerns" comment="subhead" text="Climate concerns">Climate concerns</cmsannotation> With climate change being real, Google is working on a range of climate-related efforts in India to fulfil its commitment to being carbon-free by 2030. Google is working on a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-announces-new-climate-related-efforts-for-india/articleshow/87775123.cms">range of climate-related efforts </a>in India. Google has partnered with India Meteorological Department to launch weather alerts for any extreme climatic conditions as India gets affected by events such as heavy rainfall, heatwaves, cold waves or thunderstorms. These alerts will be available on Android phones and Google Search. Users can also use voice commands such as “Weather near me” to get spoken weather alerts. As many parts of India suffer from natural disasters such as floods, Google has sent about 110 million notifications to 20 million affected people. As pollution affects some parts of the country, Google has partnered with the Central Pollution Control Board to provide the latest Air Quality Index information from their nearest station. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Education, learning and skill development" comment="subhead" text="Education, learning and skill development">Education, learning and skill development</cmsannotation> Google is also working to develop the digital education and learning space in India. It has partnered with <keyword id="1017386" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="coursera" source="Orion">Coursera</keyword> to deliver new courses for students to upskill their digital careers such as IT management, data analytics, UX design and others. The Google Coursera prices will range between ₹6,000 to ₹8,000 and it will also award 1,00,000 scholarships for Google Career Certificates Graduation cap in partnership with NASSCOM Foundation, Wipro, Times Internet and Tech Mahindra. Google will connect students to job opportunities through a consortium of companies. Through its Google Classroom program, it allows users to download class work whenever they have internet access and work on it later. Google Search is bringing free learning content such as the practice problem feature and the company is working to make this feature accessible with poor internet connectivity. Google Read Aloud feature on Search-Google will also read aloud search results in the user's language. The feature will work with Hindi for now it seems and work with any mobile browser, says the company. The read aloud feature will expand to more languages soon. Google is also bringing the read aloud feature in native languages for Indian users. It will first be available in Hindi and will then expand in other languages. Google showcased its Look to Speak app that was launched last year. It will now support five more Indian languages. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Making digital payments more accessible and intuitive" comment="subhead" text="Making digital payments more accessible and intuitive">Making digital payments more accessible and intuitive</cmsannotation> Talking about <keyword id="2750705" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="google-pay" source="Orion">Google Pay</keyword>, Ambarish Kenghe, VP for Google Pay, said that it had over 15 billion transactions annually. The company is bringing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-pay-users-in-india-will-soon-be-able-to-interact-in-hinglish-split-bills-and-sell-their-products-online/articleshow/87774356.cms">new features</a> for payments such as Groups and Bill Split. The payment app will also be available in the Hinglish language to its users. Google Pay will also let users speak out the bank account number, instead of typing it when transferring money to one. Users can say it in Hindi or English and Google will figure out what the number is. Google Pay is getting a My Shop feature where a small store merchant can showcase the entire inventory from the app itself. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Making healthcare affordable and accessible to all" comment="subhead" text="Making healthcare affordable and accessible to all">Making <keyword id="6354525" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="healthcare" source="Orion">healthcare</keyword> affordable and accessible to all</cmsannotation> Google's also looking to improve the healthcare facilities digitally. Google Assistant will now support end-to-end vaccination appointments. It will guide users to register a person for COVID-19 vaccination via Google Assistant in their native language. Google brings the Mitra program in partnership with Armaan. It is aimed at benefiting women who are pregnant and very often lack access to basic healthcare. With Google’s AI, the program can pinpoint who is more at risk, and make sure they access the service better. The non-profit organisation, Armaan, will help get women back into the program and save their lives, especially during pregnancy. In India, one woman dies every twenty minutes during childbirth. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-pay-users-in-india-will-soon-be-able-to-interact-in-hinglish-split-bills-and-sell-their-products-online/articleshow/87774356.cms">Google Pay users in India will soon be able to interact in Hinglish, split bills and sell their products online</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/instagram-video-selfie-verification-feature-tricked-by-a-barbie-doll/articleshow/87773617.cms">Instagram’s video selfie verification feature can be easily tricked with a Barbie doll</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/qualcomm-developing-windows-11-processors-to-take-on-apples-m-series-chips-performance/articleshow/87772497.cms">Qualcomm developing Windows 11 processors to take on Apple's M-series chips’ performance</a>

Google for India 2021 highlights: All the major announcements from the event

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Holden White says he was tortured by a man he met on <keyword id="12243988" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="grindr" source="Orion">Grindr</keyword> last year.</li><li>White said that despite his traumatic ordeal, he still uses Grindr and other <keyword id="11911085" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="lgbtq" source="Orion">LGBTQ</keyword> <keyword id="11970843" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="dating-apps" source="Orion">dating apps</keyword>.</li></ul>Warning: This story contains graphic details that readers might find distressing.After chatting with a man on the gay dating app <a href="https://www.grindr.com/">Grindr</a> on and off for a year, Holden White, 18, decided to meet up with him in June 2020.At first, he said, he didn't notice any red flags. But the encounter quickly turned into hours of torture, he said.White, a college student, said he agreed to be handcuffed by Chance Seneca, 19, because he was interested in trying something new. But then Seneca pulled out a loaded pistol, White said."He then began to strangle me, and that lasted for 30 to 40 minutes, to the point that every blood vessel in my face ruptured," White said.<div type="image" title="Holden White hospital" height="479" width="639" msid="87832588" hostid="261"></div>He said he lost consciousness and woke up naked in a bath with six stab wounds to his throat. In <a href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/20517150/1-1.pdf">an affidavit</a>, an FBI agent said White's wrists were "slit to the bone."White fell into a coma and spent days intubated in a hospital.He's now suing Seneca at the state and federal levels. In March, Seneca was charged with hate-crime, firearm, and kidnapping offenses, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/louisiana-man-indicted-attempted-murder-gay-man-and-plot-kidnap-and-murder-other-gay-men">the Department of Justice said</a>. He's also facing <a href="https://www.katc.com/news/lafayette-parish/no-bail-for-man-accused-of-plot-to-murder-gay-men">a charge of attempted murder</a> and a hate-crime charge at the state level.But while White seeks justice, he still frequently uses Grindr and other dating apps, he said."I use all the apps because I don't blame them 100% for what happened to me," he said during a video call.Nowadays, White takes more precautions, he said."Since the incident, I don't go to their home anymore," he said. "I either meet them in public, or they come to my house, because I live in apartments and I have roommates, so it's safer that way."He added that he hoped his experience would encourage others to use the apps vigilantly.Several experts told Insider that while there are ways that people can use LGBTQ dating apps safely, apps like Grindr could be doing more to help mitigate risk for users.<h2>Experts say dating apps could be more proactive in protecting users</h2>There are numerous examples of violent attacks involving <a href="https://www.insider.com/london-grindr-attacker-used-app-to-lure-men-who-he-raped-and-robbed-2021-9">LGBTQ dating apps</a>.This week, an Oregon man accused of beating up a man he'd targeted on Grindr was charged with a hate <keyword id="11893298" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="crime" source="Orion">crime</keyword>, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/11/17/oregon-man-charged-hate-crime-assault-gay-man-grindr/">prosecutors said</a>.Last month, a man in Texas who <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-news/texas-man-used-grindr-rob-queer-men-sentenced-23-years-prison-rcna3037">used Grindr to lure and rob gay men</a> was sentenced to 23 years in prison. A man in Jamaica who'd used a queer dating app to meet someone told the police that <a href="https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/10/20/jamaica-homophobes-fire-dating-app/">the person and two others set him on fire</a>. In the UK, an inquest is investigating how Stephen Port, <a href="https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2021/10/07/stephen-port-serial-grindr-killer-timeline-ghb/">known as the "Grindr killer,"</a> killed four men he met online.There is "certainly the potential, risk, and fear" of these sorts of attacks, said Eli Coston, an assistant professor in gender, sexuality, and women's studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. They added that those who are "multiply marginalized" by being trans, a person of color, or working class, for example, were at particular risk.But Coston said that these apps could also be a "really healthy, very helpful tool" for people to make connections and that the safety risks didn't warrant a "moral panic."<div type="image" title="Grindr dating app" height="2666" width="3556" msid="87832590" hostid="261"></div>Coston said that while people using these apps should "understand the risks involved," the apps could implement features to improve user safety, such as verifying all users' identities within the app.Grindr's <a href="https://help.grindr.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500009290262-Safety-tips">safety and privacy policies</a> say users might be asked to <a href="https://help.grindr.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500009305861">verify their identity</a> with a selfie or official government ID if their account is flagged for impersonation. Coston said that while verification in these instances is important, verifying users routinely would provide more protection."I think it's important to point out that most dating apps don't do this," they said. "Even the option to verify your identity and add a badge to your profile so that users would know whether the person they are interacting with is verified or not would be helpful."<a href="https://hornet.com/contributors/support/article/hornet-badge">Hornet</a> and <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/27/tinder-is-now-giving-out-blue-ticks-to-verify-people-who-arent-catfishing-12125908">Tinder</a> offer verification badges, whereas Grindr, Scruff, and Her, for example, do not.<div type="image" title="Tinder's verification process" height="321" width="683" msid="87832592" hostid="261"></div>Coston also recommended that dating apps make it easier to let a trusted person know of your whereabouts via a feature that shares your location with that person.Grindr doesn't include this feature, but it <a href="https://help.grindr.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500009290262-Safety-tips">recommends in its safety tips</a> that users let a "responsible" person know where they're going."While advising users to share their location when meeting someone is important," Coston said, "there are definitely ways that integration into the app itself would encourage users to be more proactive about doing so."Ian Holloway, an assistant professor of social welfare at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Insider that he also thought Grindr could be taking further steps to protect users. He said that "stronger staffing" would help it more effectively vet profiles and monitor reports."There's often very little vetting because of the sheer volume of guys using these apps," he told Insider.At the start of 2021, Grindr was said to have <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/01/26/grindr-on-the-hook-for-e10m-over-gdpr-consent-violations/?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADntDy6o1cP-eNPwYgQj3-y3QboapdJC9rEbUExyriZeBFMRRGNkc8X-2wDtFkh_8VWMc26aLI6f1kLUucvG9ux3RdHMgzA6vSW0Brtcv0VG85qi0fUYtrYeJBO4TA2V65wmO6EGYSzxl1AIgcF6w02UseSk5Ptppk33ZwTqfOiM">over 13 million active users</a> worldwide. Grindr said in a <a href="https://blog.grindr.com/blog/spam-banning-support-and-moderation-update">blog post in March</a> that it combined "complex software" with over 100 customer-support and content-moderation staffers — roughly one moderator per 130,000 users."There is not enough content moderation on these platforms," Holloway said. "And there's really nothing that I've seen that allows users to escalate a case where they can get to an actual person."An <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/grindr-features-fail-to-protect-users-from-sexual-predators,-ha/12802376">October 2020 report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation</a> described allegations from people who'd used Grindr that its features were failing to protect users from sexual predators and harassment.In a statement emailed to Insider, a Grindr spokesperson said: "To support our users' well-being, Grindr publishes a <a href="https://www.grindr.com/g4e/G4E-HolisticSecurityGuide-English.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Holistic Security Guide</a> and <a href="http://safetytips.grindr.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Safety Tips</a> available from within the Grindr App and on Grindr's public website."Grindr encourages users to be careful when interacting with people they do not know, and to report improper or illegal behavior either within the app or directly via email to <a href="mailto:legal@grindr.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">help@grindr.com</a>. Users are encouraged to report criminal allegations to local authorities, and in these cases, we work directly with law enforcement as appropriate."Coston told Insider they didn't think that went far enough."In my discussions about safety and dating apps with members of the LGBTQ+ community, many people have said that they would like additional safety features built directly into the apps," they said.<h2>How to stay safe on LGBTQ dating apps</h2>People using dating apps can still take some simple steps to protect themselves, Callisto Adams, a dating and relationship expert with HeTexted, told Insider."Make sure that you know who the person behind that profile is before you meet them in person," Adams said. "Have a video call or a voice call, and you can tell genuinely by the tone of voice, facial expressions, and willingness to spend time. You get to hear the person's voice, the changes in their tonality. You can tell when they're hesitant, enthusiastic, or secretive about a particular topic."White said there was one piece of advice he wished he'd known."Try to do some research on the person by looking for other profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, anything like that," he said. "I had felt that I had enough trust for him, but I was mistaken."

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