I have been a Grindr user for years, and I want to share this feedback because I genuinely care about the platform and the LGBTQ+ community.
I once met someone through Grindr who helped me build my career, and I used to proudly tell people that I met him on this platform. Today, I no longer feel comfortable admitting that I use Grindr. The app has become increasingly unsafe, especially in Kerala, India.
Many genuine LGBTQ+ users are leaving or taking breaks because of the overwhelming presence of fake accounts, scammers, impersonators, drug dealers, and people posting disturbing or illegal content. This is damaging the reputation of the platform and putting users at real risk.
Serious Issues
I frequently receive disturbing messages such as:
"Are you married?"
Requests involving my mother or sister's underwear.
Sexual comments about parents and siblings.
Messages encouraging immoral or criminal acts.
These are emotionally distressing and completely unrelated to the purpose of the platform.
I have personally encountered a public "Right Now" post saying, "Help me rape my mother." I have also seen users asking to sexually exploit their underage sisters. Such content should never remain visible on the platform.
Drug dealing has become increasingly common. Many profiles openly advertise or use symbols like 🚀 and 🔥 to indicate hard drugs (HF) and related illegal activities. These coded symbols should have a dedicated reporting category so users can quickly report them.
I have seen many suspected underage users on the platform. Stronger age verification and faster moderation are urgently needed.
Impersonation is becoming a major problem. Someone once created a profile using my own photographs, including images that I had previously used as my profile pictures. Reporting the account only hid it from me, but it appeared that no meaningful action was taken. Impersonation should result in immediate investigation and strict enforcement.
Fake photo collectors are also common. Many users request private photos, collect them, immediately block the other person, and disappear. This creates serious privacy and safety concerns.
Financial scams and extortion are increasing. Once a scammer blocks the conversation, victims lose access to the chat history, making it difficult to report or preserve evidence.
Safety Concerns
In Kerala, law enforcement operations targeting online activities have made many innocent LGBTQ+ users afraid to use the app publicly. At the same time, a growing number of non-LGBTQ+ individuals appear to be using Grindr primarily for illegal businesses, harassment, scams, and exploitation instead of genuine connections.
This environment discourages genuine users while allowing harmful actors to flourish.
Suggestions
Introduce a dedicated reporting option for 🚀, 🔥, and other coded symbols associated with drug dealing.
Take immediate action against posts promoting rape, incest, child exploitation, violence, or any illegal sexual content.
Strengthen moderation of the "Right Now" section using both AI and human review.
Enforce stricter action against impersonation, including immediate investigation and permanent bans where appropriate.
Preserve reported conversations and media on Grindr's servers so evidence is not lost if a scammer blocks the victim.
Work more closely with law enforcement regarding verified cases of drug trafficking, child exploitation, and serious criminal activity, while protecting the privacy of legitimate LGBTQ+ users.
Improve identity verification for suspicious accounts and strengthen age verification.
Introduce better protection against fake photo collectors and repeat offenders.
Consider adding optional filters, including a bisexual filter, so users can better match according to their preferences.
I am writing this because I want Grindr to become a safer place again. The LGBTQ+ community deserves a platform where people can connect without fear of harassment, impersonation, scams, illegal activity, or exploitation.
Please treat these issues with urgency. The safety of your users—and the reputation of Grindr—depends on it.