Goose Dating App Users Report Fake Profiles Alongside Over 250,000 Conversations Started

Users of the newly launched Goose dating app have reported problems with fake profiles and inconsistent acceptance standards, Wired reported. The app markets itself as an anti-algorithm and anti-hookup platform that operates on an invite-only or application basis.

Erick Hall, a New York City-based OnlyFans creator, submitted fully clothed selfies during the application process and received a rejection message citing rules against nudity, pornography, and sexually suggestive content.

Hunter Lawrence, a 31-year-old hairstylist in Austin, Texas, joined at launch and received an explicit message from another user shortly after. Raffy Regulus, a 35-year-old nonbinary community health liaison in New York City, deleted the app after one week. Regulus said filtering the app's live map to a 10-mile radius in the Bronx showed mostly cis white men and few Black or Latinx users.

A 27-year-old San Francisco tech worker reported that shirtless photos of himself, including one taken in a gym locker room, appeared on a fake Goose profile under the name Robert, listed as a 33-year-old attorney in Nashville. Goose requires an in-app selfie for authentication, but the system does not always detect fakes.

Goose cofounder Derek Chadwick stated the company does not make decisions based on users' identity, gender expression, or personal presentation.

Chadwick declined to confirm details of the verification system, saying disclosure would help bad actors, and said the moderation team is aggressively managing fake profiles. Goose members have initiated over 250,000 conversations since launch. The app's original terms of service, posted before June 30, granted the company full rights over user images in perpetuity.