Grindr warns Egyptian users of police targeting and impersonation
“We have been alerted that Egyptian police is actively making arrests of gay, bi, and trans people on digital platforms.”
Gay dating app Grindr has warned its users in Egypt that police are impersonating LGBTQ individuals to target the community.
The Associated Press reported users in the country will see a warning notification when they open the app.
It’s the latest in a string of LGBTQ+-targeted events in the country.
The warning reads: “We have been alerted that Egyptian police is actively making arrests of gay, bi, and trans people on digital platforms.”
“They are using fake accounts and have also taken over accounts from real community members who have already been arrested and had their phones taken.”
“Please take extra caution online and offline, including with accounts that may have seemed legitimate in the past.”
Although it is not illegal to be gay in Egypt, the LGBTQ+ community has long been prosecuted for ‘debauchery.’
In 2017, 14 gay men were sentenced to three years in jail for “abnormal” sexual relations.
“They are using fake accounts and have also taken over accounts from real community members”
The crackdown on the community came after the rainbow flag was flown at a Mashrou’ Leila concert in Cairo.
This sense of warning has only been furthered recently. The warning to Egyptian Grindr users comes as authorities have been using online platforms to further target the LGBTQ+ community.
In February, Human Rights Watch released a report outlining the arrests of LGBTQ+ people occurring in several countries, including Egypt.
The report detailed the extortion, harassment, public outing, and detaining of LGBTQ+ people based on their activities on Facebook, Instagram, and Grindr.
In reponse to the recent claims, Grindr spokesperson Patrick Lenihan’s statement outlines: “Grindr is working with groups on the ground in Egypt to make sure our users have up to date information on how to stay safe.”
“We are pushing international organisations and governments to demand justice and safety for the Egyptian LGBTQ community.”