Is dating app Tinder blocked in the Philippines?

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Is dating app Tinder blocked in the Philippines? It might be, depending on your internet service provider.

A tweet from user EJ Serrano has received attention following his screenshot of a supposed exchange with PLDT representatives via direct message.

In the tweet, PLDT said Tinder “is already blocked by the government for anti-cyber law.” 

Today in shitty government laws: Tinder for Anti-Cyber Law

If you’ve been wondering why Tinder doesn’t work in some wifi networks.

P.S. If di kayo makahanap ng match sa Tinder wag niyo kami idamay. Pota pic.twitter.com/ovwOYFmByA

— EJ Serrano (@ejontheedge) November 21, 2018

It was unclear what laws or provisions regarding cybercrime were being cited in the supposed message.

The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) is tasked with recommending “the enactment of appropriate laws, issuances, measures and policies” in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. 

Rappler has tested Tinder connectivity on some service providers, and the dating app does not appear to work on Smart mobile data connections, but works on Converge connections.

Access to Tinder, meanwhile, is sporadic when using data on Smart, though that may be dependent on connection strength rather than an outright block. 

PLDT has responded to Rappler about the issue. “We’ve done an initial check and found that there is no government order to block the Tinder app. We are now looking into reports that some people have had difficulty accessing the app via our data services. We want to verify these reports and if confirmed, find out why this is happening and correct the situation,” said Ramon Isberto, head of public affairs at PLDT and Smart. 

The reports of a Tinder block follow PLDT’s blocking in 2017 of a number of pornography websites under the Pornhub group.

Rappler has also reached out to Globe and Converge on the matter but they have yet to respond. – Rappler.com