Russian intelligence is single and ready to mingle, Germany’s military counterintelligence warns. Russian spies have logged into the dating app Tinder to trick information from soldiers and politicians, Welt reports. – The intelligence services of foreign powers use social media to establish contact and recruit them as sources of information, says an anonymous spokesman for Germany’s military counterintelligence. Russia is already collecting user data from the dating app Tinder. In 2019, Russian intelligence ordered that the company must hand over the information to the agency. Since then, several countries have warned that social media is playing an increasingly important role in Russia’s pursuit of information. The military counterintelligence in Germany believes that their soldiers are exposed to so-called “honey traps” over the Internet. Where Russian spies via sexual innuendo try to get across information, or even recruit sources. It confirms that the traps are liked on Tinder, but also via more social media, and that the victims are also politicians and civil servants. “Like the Cold War” Germany has been an important partner for Ukraine in the defensive war they are fighting against the Russian attack. Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been trained on German soil and large economic aid packages and batches of military equipment have been shipped to Ukraine. This means, according to German authorities, that Russia’s espionage in the country is now at “the same level as during the Cold War”, writes Welt. Australia has also warned about spies on dating apps. In February last year, the country’s security service called for vigilance among the country’s singles, as suspected spying was noted on Tinder on several occasions. Even the US Department of Justice has warned that the information shared on dating sites can be used by foreign intelligence services, reports NBC. – There is a lot of information in these apps that you choose to share. Some information you know you’re sharing and some you may not even be aware you’re sharing, says John Demers, Deputy Attorney General of the United States.
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