Freelance Beirut-based reporter Séamus Malekafzali was surprised to discover ads warning against taking up arms against the US or its allies on his Tinder account. He shared few screenshots showing the ads, both in Arabic and English. The messages varied from the “U.S protect its partners in the face of threats from the Iranian regime and its proxies” to “CENTCOM is fully prepared with F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters and supersonic A-10 Thunderbolt fighters already in the region.”
It’s not unheard of to see such ads running during a war to try influence a targeted group’s way of thinking or decision-making, but using dating apps like Tinder might be a first. In fact, it didn’t take long for Tinder to take down the ads as they violated its guidelines.
As far as the American authorities are concerned, an unnamed spokesperson for U.S. Central Command declined to comment on the record but did not dispute the Post’s reporting [Source].