GRINDR plans to remove an ethnicity filter from the next version of its gay dating app in a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

The company said the change, which critics have long called for in the spirit of the platform being neutral when it comes to race, was prompted by feedback from users.

“We will not be silent and we will not be inactive,” it said in a Twitter post.

“We will continue to fight racism on Grindr, both through dialogue with our community and a zero-tolerance policy for racism and hate speech on our platform.”

The move comes as the internet is flooded with expressions of support for protests calling for an end to systemic racism in the US.

A “Blackout Tuesday” trend online saw ranks of people posting black squares as a way of going silent on social media to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter.

Leaders across the US yesterday sought ways to stem mounting unrest over police racism, from extending curfews to engaging protesters, as President Donald Trump faced wide criticism for deploying force to break up a peaceful rally.

Once-in-a-generation protests have brought a multiracial coalition peacefully to the streets for the past week, but each night has descended into mayhem, with both activists and officials blaming rabble-rousers.

The uprising began in the Minnesota city of Minneapolis after the May 25 killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man.

Floyd died after he was pinned for nearly nine minutes under the knee of a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, who ignored the victim’s pleas for his life.

Chauvin had remained on the force despite multiple complaints. – AFP, June 3, 2020.