Egyptian police are allegedly using gay dating apps like Grindr to hunt down LGBT people and detain them.
Officers are using the apps to track down members of the LGBT community in order to arrest them.
Because of this, apps such as Grindr are now ‘jeopardising the safety’ of many of their members, a source close to the LGBT community has said.
According to the unnamed source, authorities are managing to pinpoint the location of users, allowing them to easily track them down.
They said: ‘There have been a number of arrests in the last few months linked to these applications.
‘It is possible to tell a user’s position within a few hundred metres.’
The source added that because users provide a profile picture of themselves on their dating profiles, they’re easily identifiable to police.
He said: ‘It baffles me how easily people are willing to share such personal information in a country like Egypt – it is beyond stupid.
‘I would advise anyone to be careful when dating online.’
Though homosexuality is not illegal in Egypt, the LGBT community are often marginalised and have reported experienced hostility.
