Łukasz Olejnik, an independent consultant and researcher at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, told Poland's PAP news agency that such platforms are attractive to intelligence services because they give access to personal information, location data, private conversations and emotional vulnerabilities.
The warning comes as Ukraine has reported Russian attempts to use dating platforms to gather intelligence and recruit people for sabotage.
Olejnik said the likelihood of similar activity in Poland was "100 percent."
"Statistically speaking, it must have happened," he said.
He said people linked to the military, public administration, critical infrastructure, journalism and expert communities face particular risks. Ordinary users may also be targeted.
Honey trap
Dating apps can be used in so-called honey trap operations, in which a romantic or sexual relationship is used to manipulate a target.
Olejnik said users often share photographs, location, lifestyle details, emotional needs and opinions themselves.
"The quasi-intimate context of the conversation can only lower vigilance," he said.
Information gathered in this way can help identify a person’s home, workplace, military unit or public institution, Olejnik added. It may also be used to pressure or blackmail a target.
Ukraine's defense ministry warned in February about fake profiles of women and people posing as law enforcement officers.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said false accounts on dating platforms had been used to collect personal data and force victims into sabotage. Such pressure could include threats to reveal sensitive information.
Ukrainian authorities have reported cases in which people recruited through dating platforms were allegedly pushed toward arson, surveillance and other hostile acts.
In January, Ukraine detained a 22-year-old man suspected of trying to set fire to a post office after being recruited by Russian actors through a dating app. He was allegedly ordered to livestream the attack.
Germany has raised similar concerns. In 2023, its Military Counterintelligence Service (MAD) said Russian agents had used the Tinder dating app to identify members of the Bundeswehr, Germany’s armed forces, and treat them as potential sources of information.
Olejnik said users should avoid sharing too much personal information on dating platforms. He said pressure, urgency or attempts to push a conversation in a suspicious direction should be treated as warning signs.
"If someone starts behaving suspiciously, it is best to answer briefly and tersely, suggesting a meeting in person, or even not doing that," he said.
The use of dating-style profiles is not limited to Russia. Ukraine has also used dating apps to gather information on Russian forces.
In one case reported in 2024, a Ukrainian woman created multiple Tinder profiles near the Ukrainian-Russian border and used location data from different places to estimate Russian positions. She reportedly passed more than 70 such locations to Ukrainian authorities.
Researchers have also identified similar tactics in Chinese information operations. The NewsGuard service reported in June that 294 coordinated Threads accounts posed as attractive Asian women seeking Taiwanese men.
The accounts showed signs of coordination, including similar names, synchronized posting patterns and repeated profile images.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP