Ofcom, Britain’s online safety regulator, is in discussions with Sniffies about whether the gay cruising app’s age checks comply with the Online Safety Act, The Telegraph reported Oct. 24.
The paper found that anonymous users could enter any birth date that made them 18 or older and get in without proving it, according to write-ups by Online Personals Watch and Global Dating Insights. Once inside, they could message other users and look at registered profiles.
Sniffies denies any wrongdoing. It told The Telegraph that everyone in the UK, anonymous visitors included, has to pass an age check before seeing pornographic content, Global Dating Insights reported. The company said it blocks explicit material for users who haven’t done that, and it permanently bans accounts involved in grooming.
Ofcom told the paper it’s in contact with the company. Labour MP Chi Onwurah has raised concerns about the app’s safeguards and questioned Ofcom’s oversight, Global Dating Insights reported.
How Ofcom’s Porn Age-Check Rules Reach a Cruising App
Since July 25, 2025, every site and app in the UK that allows pornography has had to run age checks Ofcom considers “highly effective.” The regulator has said that “self-declaration of age and online payments which don’t require a person to be 18 are not highly effective,” according to its age-check guidance. Photo ID matching and facial age estimation are among the methods it accepts.
Companies that fall short face fines of up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater, Ofcom says.
In February, Ofcom fined 8579 LLC £1.35 million for having no age checks.
“We’ve been clear that adult sites must deploy robust age checks to protect children in the UK from seeing porn,” said George Lusty, Ofcom’s director of enforcement.
Sniffies isn’t among the companies named on Ofcom’s age-assurance enforcement page, which was last updated May 27.
Match Group’s $100 Million Bet on Sniffies
Match Group, which owns Tinder and Hinge, announced its Sniffies deal April 27. A securities filing shows Match spent $100 million in cash on April 23 for a minority stake. Match also got an option to buy the rest of the company later.
“Sniffies feels genuinely different and authentic to its audience,” Match CEO Spencer Rascoff said in the announcement. “There’s also clear and growing demand in this space.”
Under the deal, Sniffies stays independent and founder-led. “With Match Group’s support, we can move faster on improving the product and expanding our network,” founder and CEO Blake Gallagher said, “while continuing to invest in Trust & Safety and giving our users more of what they’re looking for.”
Match puts Sniffies at about 3 million monthly active users worldwide. As part of the deal, Match said it would wind down Archer, its own app for gay men, according to prepared remarks for its May 5 earnings call.
“Sniffies reinforces our commitment with non-heterosexual men, which represent a large and growing portion of the category,” the remarks said.
Gallagher has described Sniffies as a “no-holds-barred, sex-positive platform” in a LinkedIn post, GeekWire reported. In another post, he wrote that “the product, the tone, and the community will continue to be shaped by the people who use it.”
Match reports third-quarter results Nov. 2, with a call at 5 p.m. ET, the company said.
