By Zachary Winstead | Staff Writer
Is It just me or has anyone else noticed that since the events on October 7th, 2023, there has been a flood of Israeli profiles on dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and Grindr in Lebanon? Why is this?
Lebanon does not allow Israeli citizens or people who have formally visited Israel to enter the country. So, why are my and many others’ dating profiles filled with Israelis showing as close as, five kilometers away from Beirut? For example, profiles based in Haifa flood my friend and I’s Tinder and Bumble profiles. The distance between Haifa and Beirut is about 128 km away. Additionally, I have heard from friends who use more GPS-specific dating apps like Grindr that have reported seeing only Israeli profiles when using the app recently when traveling at the airport, with most of these profiles being Israelis. Even when using Grindr in Beirut, you can come across Israeli profiles close to their locations. Does this mean that Israel is manipulating Lebanon’s GPS systems, or using the Beirut-Rafic Al Hariri International Airport location for their use? Or is this a tactic by the Match Company (the parent company of Tinder and Bumble) and Grindr, to manipulate their algorithms for more swipes? From my personal experience while using Tinder in the past few months, I have seen dating profiles shamelessly littered with Hebrew, and Israeli flags, and pictures of IDF conscripts. Then, there are the more inconspicuous profiles that are Israelis who speak Arabic, are ethnically Arab, and/or have non-Hebrew names that are five kilometers away, which makes it harder to differentiate between Lebanese and Israelis in the five seconds we all take to swipe left or right on a profile. This is also with default location settings and not with distance ranges that extend past Lebanon’s national borders. There have been Reddits and subreddits, speculating about this new phenomenon not only in Lebanon but also in Egypt. When using Google to try to investigate this issue there has been limited coverage on the topic and there seems to be no resolution. There could be many reasons that this is happening at this time; there has been no real explanation for why. What does this mean for you this Valentine’s Day or in general while using dating apps at this time?
While most are swiping and scrolling through dating apps this previous Valentine’s Day, finding a date, hookup, friend, or other. This is what you should do if you come across an Israeli profile. Personally, I swipe left automatically, especially if it is only registered five kilometers away because nine times out of ten it is a profile based in Haifa. But, take time to scroll through the profile and look at the language spoken, names of universities they have attended, and cities in which they live. Most will be oblivious but some might be more discrete. Protecting yourself is the most important thing. When my friends have matched with people and it turned out they were Israeli, they have received many disturbing and inflammatory messages. For example, Israelis have told some of my friends on dating apps when they find out they live in Lebanon that they should be raped and killed by Hamas or Hezbollah for supporting Palestine on October 7th. Most of them did not even know that they were Israeli due to the lack of information on these profiles and location tampering. The best thing you can do is swipe left, report, and block if necessary. Also, report location discrepancies if you see them on Tinder, Bumble, and other dating apps to customer service or in the application. Whatever you do, do not engage with these profiles or say things that might be perceived as a violation of the terms and conditions of these dating apps, because it might lead to your account being deactivated or banned. We all know friends who have gotten their Tinder or Bumble accounts banned, and how annoying it is to try to get them reactivated due to the fact that the Match company blocks your phone number. I know very few people who are changing their phone numbers just to access Tinder or Bumble. So the most important step to take is to protect yourself and your future dating life from the interference of Israel.
Continue to block, report, and complain to try to change this invasion of Israel onto our dating lives here in Lebanon. Additionally, while you are giving gifts and spending time with your partners and others, remember that there is a genocide happening in Palestine and an ongoing bombardment of the south of Lebanon. While our lives may seem relatively normal here in Beirut there are many just a few kilometers away that did not have a normal Valentine’s Day or life after the events that have unfolded since October 7th. Do not stop talking about Palestine, donate if you can, and remember the martyrs who have been killed fighting the Israeli occupation.
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