NEW YORK, March 25 — Homosexual activity is currently criminalised by 67 countries or jurisdictions around the world, according to Human Dignity Trust. And authorities in some of these areas are using dating apps and social media to target people from the LGBTQ+ community, in some cases even going so far as to trick them with fake accounts. This has reportedly happened in Egypt, with Grindr being used to arrest gay users.
“We have been alerted that Egyptian police is actively making arrests of gay, bi and trans people on digital platforms. They are using fake accounts and have also taken over accounts from real community members who have already been arrested and had their phones taken. Please take extra caution both online and offline, including with accounts that may have seemed legitimate in the past,” Grindr has been warning its Egyptian users since March 20.
In this country, the dating app, popular among gay and bisexual men, reportedly has hundreds of thousands of users, according to The Washington Post. Since the beginning of the week, Grindr made the decision to send this hourly alert after learning from human rights groups about the arrest of 35 to 40 LGBTQ+ people in Egypt over the weekend.
As Grindr’s global communications manager Patrick Lenihan told NBC News, the app warned its Egyptian users not to provide personal information, share their location, or trust unknown people who ask for information. The app also recommended that users check their profiles to make sure they do not contain sensitive or compromising information.
The app, in partnership with local advocacy groups, was already sending users in Egypt general security alerts, but this week’s warning is more specific and is shared more often.
In Egypt, homosexuality is not explicitly prohibited by law, but LGBTQ+ people are often harassed, arrested and imprisoned for other offenses, such as incitement to debauchery or prostitution with authorities invoking “public morality” laws, the Washington Post outlines.
In recent years, Egyptian authorities have stepped up their surveillance of the LGBTQ+ community. According to an investigation by the BBC, Egyptian police are now using Tinder, Bumble and Grindr to find LGBTQ individuals. Informants are said to be infiltrating the app under fake accounts and seducing their contacts before arresting them. Human Rights Watch has previously stated that digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Grindr are not doing enough to protect LGBTQ+ people. — ETX Studio
