Grindr warns Egyptian users that police are trying to entrap them

Following the sentencing of six men by an Egyptian court on Thursday, Grindr has sent out a warning to its users in Egypt that the police may be trying to entrap them.

Ahram Online reports that the six unidentified men were cited for “commiting debauchery” after allegedly advertising their apartment on Facebook as a place for men to meet and have sex with each other for $200 a night. The accused were sentenced to two years in jail with labour.

In the past year, 80 people have been arrested on allegations of homosexuality as the Egyptian government continues its oppression of the LGBT population. Eight men are due in court on Saturday for appearing in a video that was shared on Facebook showing two of the men exchanging rings. The video was sensationalized in the Arabic press as being part of a gay wedding.

According to a report by BuzzFeed, Egyptians’ online activity is being monitored by See Egypt, the sister company of an American cybersecurity firm called Blue Coat, giving the Egyptian government the power to monitor Egyptian people from Skype, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other websites. Government officials confirmed with BuzzFeed that Egyptians are being monitored through See Egypt and that Facebook groups for gay men have been targeted.

As a result of the social-media crackdown, hookup app Grindr has sent out a warning message to its users:

Keep Reading

The new generation of gay Conservative sellouts

OPINION: Melissa Lantsman’s and Eric Duncan’s refusals to call out their party’s transphobia is a betrayal of the LGBTQ2S+ community

Over 300 anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills have been introduced this year. This doesn’t mean we should panic

OPINION: While it’s important to watch out for threats, not all threats are created equally. Some of these bills will die a natural death

Xtra’s top LGBTQ2S+ stories of the year

The best and brightest—even most bewildering—stories from a back catalogue brimming with insight

Elon Musk and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton are suing Media Matters. Here’s why queer and trans people should care

OPINION: When politicians and the rich leverage the power of the state to quell dissent, we all lose