Dating app Bumble restores political filter after suspected Capitol rioters found on app

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Dating app Bumble has restored its political identification filter after temporarily removing it from the platform after users spotted suspected rioters involved in the storming of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. on the app.

Dating app Bumble temporarily removed its politics filter to prevent "misuse and abuse."  (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images). 

"On January 13, we took the action to temporarily remove our politics filter in an effort to prevent that kind of misuse and abuse while we took the steps necessary to ensure we had the proper moderation tools and protocols in place. Having completed that process, the politics filter has been turned back on in the United States," a spokesperson for Bumble told Fox News on Friday.

CAPITOL PROTESTS: FBI MANHUNT FOR RIOT SUSPECTS GOES HIGH TECH 

The company temporarily removed the feature letting users list themselves as "liberal," "conservative," "moderate" or "apolitical" this week, after some users reported individuals on the app who appear to have been involved in the chaos.

Bumble confirmed reports of people using its platform "to spread insurrectionist content or who have attempted to organize and incite terrorism," the spokesperson said, adding that spreading false information about disputing the U.S. election is prohibited. 

Bumble’s update comes after a number of individuals reported people they saw on the app who may have participated in the violent attack on the Capitol building. For example, Twitter user Alia Awadallah said on Jan. 7 she was seeing "dozens of men" on D.C. dating apps she says were "clearly here for the insurrection attempt" citing MAGA clothing, location tags and with some allegedly stating their participation.

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Awadallah said she passed on evidence to the FBI, which has requested tips from the public including "digital media depicting rioting and violence."

Another Twitter user Allison Norris said she had a friend who changed her political preference on Bumble to "conservative." From there, this user allegedly matched with Trump supporters, who were "bragging and sending her pics and videos of them in the Capitol." Norris said the friend would be sending the information to the FBI.