A new British dating app is promising to eradicate Tinder Swindler-style romance fraud, which cost duped daters almost £100m last year, by ensuring that all members complete biometric ID verification before they digitally mingle. Fluttr, which claims to be the first UK online dating app to use such technology to improve user safety, is launching on Valentine's Day in the hope of getting a boost from singletons looking to change their relationship status. The issue of romance fraud, catfishing and fake profiles has been put into the spotlight following the release of Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler, which tells the true story of a man who went to extraordinary lengths to scam women for millions after meeting them online. The pandemic, when online dating was the only mixing that was allowed, has driven a huge surge in scams costing those duped £92m in the UK last year. "We want to rid the world of Tinder Swindlers and create a safe space free from the fake profiles used to defraud, catfish and abuse online daters," said Rhonda Alexander, the chief executive and co-founder of Fluttr.

Facial recognition technology is convenient. Many of us use it numerous times a day to unlock our smartphones. Although people often access their phones with Face ID or fingerprints, many still worry about their privacy when their biometric data are used in the public space. There is a fine line between consensual identity verification and non-consensual surveillance. Delta Airlines opened the nation's first biometric terminal at Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport (ATL) in November 2018.