Movements of hundreds of military personnel, both domestic and international, can be tracked via the dating app Tinder, according to Follow the Money (FTM). Security experts warn of a national security threat.
FTM’s investigative journalists used fake Tinder accounts to gather sensitive information, including details about Dutch soldiers stationed in Estonia for NATO. “This was achievable from the Netherlands by digitally altering our location,” said FTM journalist Sebastiaan Brommersma.
Tinder reveals the distance to matched users, which allowed the journalists to identify military personnel, find home addresses, track movements, and learn about their private lives by combining location data with social media and public sources. Despite the security concerns, the Defense Ministry is aware of the vulnerability but does not intend to ban dating apps for soldiers.
Tinder states it is taking steps to obfuscate exact locations and stresses that users can adjust their visibility settings. Previously, the fitness app Strava inadvertently exposed military personnel by revealing their locations during workouts, leading to the mapping of military bases.
Source: NOS