CHENNAI: Greater Chennai Police (GCP) has sought a ban on the dating app Grindr, used by the LGBTQ+ community, as they have found that it is being used as the mode of communication for peddling the synthetic drug methamphetamine in many cases.
The development has worried the LGBTQ+ community, who feel that this would give the general public an impression that the community are abusing and peddling drugs, leading to further stigmatisation. Notably, though there is a possibility of the drug being similarly peddled through other apps, an official said that they haven’t yet gathered any direct evidence of the same in the cases they have dealt with.
A senior police official said they have routed a communication through the Tamil Nadu DGP’s office to the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) in the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY) recently, seeking a ban on Grindr on the grounds of “causing nuisance” and “affecting public order”.
“Just because there is an increase in scam calls, will the cops ban mobile phones? Chennai police need to work with the LGBTQ+ community to raise awareness about this issue rather than banning the app,” said an activist who works with the community.
They pointed out that complaints have been raised with the cops regarding extortion and blackmail by people using the app and privacy concerns given that it also provides the location of the user. They also questioned whether the police have done any substantial analysis on how many people use Grindr and how many have misused it for peddling drugs. They also pointed out media reports of other dating apps used by heterosexual people being misused for illegal activities such as extortion.
A senior official said that they have registered at least 21 cases of methamphetamine peddling through the app since August, which is when the GCP’s newly formed Anti Narcotics Intelligence Unit (ANIU) began a crackdown on synthetic drug sale.
“We have collected concrete evidence regarding the use of the app to sell meth,” the official said. Those involved in these cases included at least two police constables who peddled meth through the app. Investigators say that those selling meth on the app identify themselves by adding a symbol on their profile, which acts as a secret code.