Is That Celebrity on Tinder Real? Verified Accounts
Ever had a celebrity's picture pop up while you were scrolling through Tinder? Did you swipe right? Or, did you automatically swipe left because you assumed it was a fake account?
With Tinder's new verified accounts feature, you can be assured that the girl that looks like Hillary Duff really is the pop star, and not some fake.
The Celebrity Dilemma
Celebrities are just like us. They need love, and they sometimes resort to dating apps to find it. However, celebrities have a unique problem.
Apparently, many users assumed that any celebrity that popped up was a spam account, and they automatically swiped left. The poor lonely celebrities were having a hard time finding matches.
To accommodate its more famous users, Tinder introduced a new feature, the verified account. A small blue checkmark in the corner of a profile will signify a verified celebrity. As of now, it looks like only certain people such as celebrities and notable people will be able to get a verified account. Other than those few details, Tinder has not released much information on how to get a verified account or how the process will work.
Don't Impersonate a Celebrity
The verified account feature is necessary because, all too often, people create fake social media accounts claiming to be Kim Kardashian or Leonardo DiCaprio. Well, don't. It's a crime that could get you sued and thrown in jail.
False Personation
Most states have laws that make impersonating another person illegal. For example, New York's Penal Law section 190.25 states, "A person is guilty of criminal impersonation in the second degree when he impersonates another and does an act in such assumed character with intent to obtain a benefit or to injure or defraud another." Criminal impersonation is a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.
Invasion of Privacy
In addition to being charged with a crime, you could be sued for invasion of privacy or, more specifically, appropriation of name of likeness. You could end up paying a lot of money in damages if the victim can show that you used their name or picture for your benefit without permission.
With this new verified account feature, you can now swipe right with renewed optimism.
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Related Resources:
- Now You'll Know If That Celebrity On Tinder Is Real (TIME)
- Ex-Tinder VP Sues Over Sexual Harassment (FindLaw's Injured)
- 8 Ways Twitter Has Gotten Celebrities in Trouble (FindLaw's Celebrity Justice)
- CA Man Arrested For Impersonating LAPD Officer (FindLaw's Legally Weird)
