Grindr, the most widely used gay dating app in the world, issued a warning to Egypt’s users this week after reports claimed that many LGBTQ individuals were being detained in Egypt over the weekend.
The warning message was sent Monday and stated that “we have been alerted to the fact that Egyptian police is actively making arrests for gay, bi, or trans people on digital platforms.” They are creating fake accounts, and they have also taken control of accounts belonging to real members of the community who were already arrested and had their phones stolen.
A warning message Grindr has been sending users in Egypt since Monday.
via Grindr
Grindr stated that the message has been sent hourly to users since Monday. It concludes with a warning to “Please be extra cautious both online and offline, even with accounts that may have appeared legitimate in past.”
Patrick Lenihan of Grindr’s global communications department told NBC News that the company issued the warning after LGBTQ advocacy organizations in Egypt reported that around 35-40 LGBTQ people had been detained in Egypt over the weekend.
“Grindr is working alongside groups on the ground Egypt to ensure our users have up-to-date information on how they can stay safe, and to push international organizations and governments into demanding justice and safety for Egypt’s LGBTQ community,” Lenihan stated in an email. However, he refused to name the advocacy groups with which he was working to protect their members’ safety.
The U.S. Embassy in Washington, D.C. did not immediately respond to inquiries about the alleged arrests and entrapments in Egypt. The United States has provided Egypt with over $50 billion in military and $30 billion in economic assistance since 1978,
Rigot said that authorities have used social media and dating apps in recent years to arrest LGBTQ individuals, but they also have more often charged them with violating country’s cyber-telecommunications laws.
Rigot stated that this means there are more sentences, more charges, and a greater chance of receiving those sentences. “So, after an arrest, there are multiple charges against people.”
Lenihan stated that Grindr in partnership with local advocacy organizations regularly sends Egyptian users general safety warnings. However, this week’s warning was more specific and is being shared much more frequently.
He said that Grindr’s social Justice division, Grindr for Equality has been working closely to implement safety features for users in countries where it is unsafe to be openly LGBTQ.
He said that many of the safety measures that we have developed were first developed in Egypt. It’s one of the most dangerous places for police persecution.
Lenihan said that Egyptian authorities use “numerous social networking platforms” to target LGBTQ persons. He encouraged other platforms to share similar safety messages.
Human rights activists have been documenting in recent years the entrapment and torture of LGBTQ people by Egyptian authorities via various social media platforms, dating apps, and other online venues. Human Rights Watch’s 2020 report documented 15 LGBTQ individuals being persecuted and arrested in Egypt between 2017 and 2020.
The international rights group released a new report last month. It found that similar fears of LGBTQ persons were expressed in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia.
The report was based on 120 interviews, including 90 with LGBTQ people who were affected by digital targeting. It found that between 2017-2022, 40 LGBTQ individuals were entrapped in five countries by both government officials and private actors. Researchers found that Egypt was the country where the majority of LGBTQ persons were apprehended. In fact, 29 of the 40 arrests and “persecutions,” which occurred in Egypt between 2017 and 2022, were made there.
Human Dignity Trust is a global advocacy group that advocates for LGBTQ rights. According to Human Dignity Trust homosexuality continues to be criminalized in 67 countries. The Ugandan parliament passed a unique measure prohibiting people from identifying themselves as LGBTQ on Wednesday. If the legislation is passed, Ugandans with gay sex will be sentenced to death.
