In a blow against the idea that a date – or a mate – should be as simple as swiping right, some Tinder users in the United Arab Emirates have found themselves cut off from photos on the popular matchmaking app.
While the app managed to evade local restrictions on online dating services for more than a year, reports began to crop up on Reddit at the beginning of January that photos would no longer load when using certain Internet service providers.
The National reported Sunday that Tinder had confirmed its service was being blocked in the Emirates.
“We actually just learnt that a phone provider there has blocked Tinder,” Tinder's Vice President of Communications Rosette Pambakian told the Abu Dhabi-based paper. “We are currently looking into it.”
While the app is definitely blocked on Etisalat, The National reported that some subscribers on du were still able to load photos, potentially giving it a competitive advantage with the “single and looking” demographic.
Despite being known as a dating app, Tinder itself makes no mention of dating or relationships, saying simply that, “We connect people through fun experiences,” without putting any limitation on those experiences .
While many users took to social media to complain about the censorship, one Twitter user suggested this move catered to those who complained about the superficiality of the service: