Photo Check data and privacy information

What is Photo Check?

Authenticity is vital at Tinder. When our automated safety systems or human moderators detect unusual activity, they may prompt the profile in question to complete Photo Check with a video selfie in order to resume normal use of the app. When you take a video selfie, your facial geometry, which may be considered “biometric information” in some places will be used and stored to check your profile photos, reduce fraud, and help ensure that no other profile is using your likeness. After successfully completing your video selfie and uploading a clear solo face photo that matches the face in your video selfie, you’ll automatically get a Photo Verified badge on your profile.

How does Photo Check work?

Completing Photo Check is as simple as taking a video selfie. We use facial scanning technology to check that the video was taken by a real, live person, and that it wasn’t digitally altered or manipulated. This technology also detects your face in your video selfie and your profile photos, and uses your facial geometry (“FaceMap”) to generate a unique number (“FaceVector”). The data generated and processed by this feature (“Verification Data”) is retained for the purposes set out below in “How is my Verification Data used?”. We may also conduct a manual review of your photos. 

Once you successfully complete Photo Check, your account is unlocked and you can continue using the app as normal.

How is my Verification Data used?

Your video selfie is assessed to ensure that you are a real person, and is then promptly deleted. Your FaceMap is used to help check whether the person in your video selfie appears to be the same person as in your profile photos, and your FaceVector is compared to FaceVectors for other accounts to help ensure that no other profile is using your likeness. As a reminder, Tinder users must comply with Tinder’s requirement to only operate one account at a time, as set out in our Terms of Use and Community Guidelines.

Your original video selfie is not kept or added to your profile. We keep 2 audit images from your video selfie for the purposes of auditing and managing the Photo Verification feature and confirming your likeness. 

We may also use Verification Data when necessary to troubleshoot and ensure the smooth operation of our Photo Check feature, or when necessary to ensure the safety and security of our service and users, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

What information will you keep after Photo Check is complete?

If you choose to complete Photo Check, your Verification Data is retained so that we can continue to provide the Photo Verification service to you as you change and update your profile photos over time, and to help detect whether other accounts are using your likeness. To do so, your FaceMap and FaceVector are retained for the lifetime of your account, and are deleted from our systems within 30 days of account closure, unless continued retention is necessary to comply with an applicable legal obligation or to ensure the safety and security of our service and users, to the extent permitted by applicable law.

As noted above, your original video selfie is not retained or added to your profile, but we keep 2 audit images from your video selfie. We’ll also keep the results of the Photo Verification process (successful or not) until 90 days after your account is closed (or 1 year if the account is banned). Audit images are kept for 90 days after account closure, or up to the duration of the account ban, if applicable.

What happens if I choose not to complete Photo Check?

If you choose not to complete Photo Check, your account will be closed after 2 years, in accordance with Tinder’s Privacy Policy. 

You’ll still be able to access your account information using Tinder’s Download My Data tool for a period of 2 years, after which your data will be deleted as described in the “How long we retain your information” section of Tinder’s Privacy Policy.

Will third parties receive my data?

Verification Data is only shared with Tinder’s service providers when necessary to manage, troubleshoot, or ensure the smooth operation of our Photo Check feature. Verification Data is stored securely on Tinder’s AWS servers. 

Tinder is part of the Match Group family of businesses, and we may, solely to the extent permitted by applicable law, share Verification Data between our Affiliates to make all Match Group services safer (such as identifying and banning violating accounts). 

US Residents: We do not “sell” or “share” Verification Data, as such terms may be defined by applicable privacy law in your state.

How do I delete my Verification Data?

You can delete your Verification Data by deleting your Tinder account through the app’s settings page or account portal. Data is then deleted as described above and in accordance with Tinder’s Privacy Policy. To learn more about how to delete your account, please visit Delete Your Tinder Account.

If you reside in the EEA or Switzerland, you can delete your Verification Data within your Tinder account Settings.

Why do I need to delete my account in order to delete my Verification Data?

Tinder’s Photo Verified Badge is a great way to help show potential matches that you really look like your pictures. To help ensure that users are not misled or confused about whether their matches are still Photo Verified, and cannot create multiple accounts in violation of our Terms, we do not allow users to delete their Verification Data (thereby disabling Photo Verification) without also resetting their matches and starting again with a regular, non-Photo Verified account. This requirement is intended to prevent abuse of the Photo Verified Badge, enforce our Terms, and ensure other users can be confident about whether their matches continue to have Photo Verified accounts. 

If you reside in the EEA or Switzerland and delete your Verification Data, we may notify your matches that you no longer have Photo Verified status to minimize confusion and enhance safety, as immediately described above.

Video Selfie Screenshots

You can request deletion of the two screenshots from your video selfie by writing to our Community team here. In any event, this information is deleted upon account closure, in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

Under what legal authority do you process my information?

We process Verification Data with your consent.

How do I withdraw my consent?

You can withdraw your consent by deleting your Verification Data as described above in “How do I delete my Verification Data?”.

How do I find more information about Tinder’s data practices, including my privacy rights? 

Visit our Privacy Policy to learn more about our privacy practices, including the Your Rights section.

What other verification features are available on Tinder?

Photo Verification is just one feature in a suite of verification tools Tinder uses to help enhance the safety of our service. Other verification features include, for example:

• Photo Verification is an optional process that allows you to show that at least one of your profile photos looks like you. Learn more. 
• ID + Photo Verification is an optional process that allows you to show that the photo on your ID, and at least one of your profile photos, looks like you. Learn more.
• Face Check™, in regions where required, asks users to complete a biometric Face Check scan with a video selfie in order to help make Tinder a more authentic place. Learn more.

Trouble with Photo Check or Photo Verification?

If you’re experiencing trouble with capturing your video selfie, you can exit the Photo Check flow and start again. See here for more additional instructions for using this feature. If you experience any issues or have feedback, please feel free to contact us.

What if I have another question?

Contact us anytime!