"Apps and traps: why dating apps must do more to protect LGBTQ communities," 16 May 2018

In some countries apps have also been used to harm LGBTQ communities... Patterns of arrests and targeting range from such entrapments—where a state aggressor uses a fake profile to pose as an app user interested in a relationship to build a case against an individual—to police checkpoint stop-and-checks on mobile devices, and even infiltration of LGBTQ online group chats... For many apps are the only way to access communities from which they are otherwise blocked... While the apps can put users in real physical danger, our research shows that the drive for sex, love, intimacy, and association is often stronger than the fear of risks. The responsibility, therefore, of app developers and providers is key. The burden of protection shouldn’t be solely on users, and UN standards make clear that companies have human rights responsibilities. App companies must make the effort to understand their users’ environments and experiences; sending security messages is simply not enough... Human rights groups, technologists and companies must work together to mitigate the risk of human rights violations committed via technologies— and there is still a long way to go.