Foreign Office warns gay tourists about dangers of Grindr abroad
The UK Foreign Office has updated its guidance for LGBT tourists to warn about the dangers of using Grindr abroad.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office initially published its travel advice for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people in 2013, providing a resource for people considering travel to countries where LGBT rights may not be protected.
This week the guidance was updated to caution men about the use of gay hook-up apps.
It now warns: “If you intend to visit cruising areas or use a dating app, find out about the local situation and take sensible precautions if you meet someone.
“Some dating apps have safety tips.”
It cautions: “In countries where attitudes towards LGB&T people are hostile, police have been known to carry out entrapment campaigns.”
It was has previously been alleged that police in Egypt were exploiting Grindr and other dating sites to hunt members of the gay community, as part of a crackdown on homosexuality.
Grindr took the step of directly warning users to be cautious, with a notice warning: “Egypt is arresting LGBT people, and police may be posing as LGBT on social media to entrap you.
“Please be careful about arranging meetings with people you don’t know, and be careful about posting anything that might reveal your identity.”
Channel 4 documentary Hunted also documented anti-gay vigilantes in Russia using hook-up apps to lure gay men to flats, where they would be attacked or sexually assaulted.
