The Latest Psychological Operation by the US Military? Recruiting via Tinder Ads

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, the U.S. military has launched an advertising campaign in Lebanon urging individuals not to engage in hostilities against the United States or its allies. Surprisingly, some of these advertisements have been spotted on the dating platform Tinder.

Independent journalist Séamus Malekafzali shared images on X showing the advertisements within the Tinder application, cautioning Lebanese citizens against taking up arms. The messages, penned in Arabic, articulate the U.S.’s commitment to “defend its partners against threats from the Iranian regime and its affiliates,” mentioning groups such as Hezbollah that are active within Lebanon.

The advertisements openly feature the emblem of the U.S. Central Command and direct users to a tweet that showcases F-16 and A10 combat aircraft.

This strategy of military psychological operations (psyops), intended to sway the opinions of the intended audience or population, is not a novel tactic. However, their appearance on a dating application like Tinder has sparked discussion within the military sector, according to the Washington Post. Notably, the Pentagon scrutinized its psyops practices in 2022, which previously involved creating unauthorized accounts on social networks, in violation of the platforms’ terms, as reported by the Washington Post.

Nevertheless, Tinder’s spokesperson Philip Fry informed TechCrunch that the military’s advertisement campaign breached the app’s guidelines concerning violence, safety, and advocacy, leading to its immediate removal.

In response to inquiries from TechCrunch, a spokesperson for the U.S. Central Command, who preferred to remain anonymous, refrained from commenting specifically but did not contest the accuracy of the Post’s article.