As tensions rise across the Middle East, the US military is running ads across Lebanon warning people not to attack the US or its allies, and some of these ads have appeared in an unlikely place: the dating app Tinder.
Freelance journalist Seames Malekafzali posted a screenshot of an advert that appeared on the Tinder app to X, warning Lebanese residents not to “take up arms.” Written in Arabic, the ad stated that the US will “protect our partners in the face of threats from the Iranian regime and its proxies,” which operate across the region and are a reference to groups such as Lebanon-based Hezbollah.
The secretive nature of the ad displays the logo of US Central Command and links to a tweet featuring F-16 and A10 fighter jets.
These types of military psychological operations (psycops), which aim to influence the views of a target group or population, are not new, even though their inclusion on dating apps has raised questions among military personnel. The Defense Department ordered a review of psycops in 2022, which include setting up fake accounts on social media sites in violation of the platforms' rules, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday.
However, Tinder spokesperson Philip Fry told TechCrunch that the military ad campaign violated the company's policies on violence, safety and advocacy and that it was “immediately removed.”
When contacted by TechCrunch, an anonymous spokesperson for US Central Command declined to comment publicly but did not dispute the Washington Post report.