It’s no secret that we believe everyone has the right to live how they want to live and love who they want to love. And while there are still efforts to protect our freedoms from LGBTQ discrimination here in U.S., it’s important to remember that there are still nearly 70 countries around the world that have laws effectively criminalizing LGBTQ status…

Starting today, we’re rolling out a Traveler Alert that will appear when Tinder is opened in one of these locations to ensure that our users are aware of the potential dangers the LGBTQ community faces — so that they can take extra caution and do not unknowingly place themselves in danger for simply being themselves.

Our LGBTQ community will no longer automatically appear on Tinder when they open the app in these areas. Once the alert is activated, users will have the choice to remain hidden while in that location or opt into making their profile public so that they can connect with new people. If a user chooses to be shown on Tinder – and has added sexual orientation or gender identity to their profile – it will not be displayed until they leave that area.

The alert will appear when users are on the ground in these countries, as well as if they are using Tinder’s Passport feature to connect and match with people anywhere in the world.

We worked with ILGA World to help establish locations in which Traveler Alert will appear. Together, we also added new information to our Safety Tips to include relevant information about this update.

Traveler Alert on Tinder is rolling out for users on both iOS and Android in the coming days.