MANILA, Philippines – Tinder announced Wednesday, July 24, it was rolling out a new feature this week on Android and iOS which would warn the service’s LGBTQ+ users when they are traveling in a location where they might be discriminated against or put at legal risk.

The feature, called Traveler Alert, hides LGBTQ+ users’ profiles if they’re in countries where same-sex relationships are illegal.

The company explained, “the alert will appear when users are on the ground in these countries, as well as if they are using Tinder’s Passport feature to connect and match with people anywhere in the world.”

Users can opt to disclose their profile in the settings, but the company adds that it “will hide your sexual orientation from your profile until you leave that area” even if you opt to keep your profile public in the interest of keeping its LGBTQ+ users safe from being targeted.

Tinder teamed up with the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) for this effort, with the ILGA identifying countries where same-sex relationships are illegal.

While the type of potential punishment can be different depending on location, Tinder’s work with the ILGA and the map for sexual orientation laws by country (Downloadable PDF here) notes some countries have the death penalty as the punishment for consensual same-sex sexual acts between adults. – Rappler.com