Egyptian police 'using Grindr to hunt LGBT people'

Egyption police are using gay dating apps like Grindr to track down LGBT people, it has been alleged.

Authorities in the country have reportedly been using gay dating apps to find and detain members of the LGBT community, The Jerusalem Post reported.

According to lifestyle and entertainment magazine CairoScene, a source close to the city's LGBT community claimed apps such as Grindr are “jeopardising the safety” of many of their members.

The unnamed source said authorities are using the technology to pinpoint the location of users.

They said: “There have been a number of arrests in the last few months linked to these applications.

"It is possible to tell a user's position within a few hundred meters," the source added.

The personal photographs uploaded by users to their dating profiles makes them easily identifiable to police, it was reported.

"It baffles me how easily people are willing to share such personal information in a country like Egypt - it is beyond stupid.

"I would advise anyone to be careful when dating online."

Homosexuality is not banned in Egypt but members of the country’s LGBT population have reported experiencing hostility.

In April, an Egyptian court sentenced 11 men accused of committing homosexual acts to terms of up to 12 years in jail on charges of "inciting debauchery”, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Earlier this month Egypt’s grand mufti Shawki Allam said hurting gays and lesbians is “unacceptable”.