The use of dating apps and social media platforms for espionage has become a growing counterintelligence concern. Intelligence services from Iran, China, Russia, and Pakistan are increasingly turning to these platforms to carry out covert operations. By creating fake online identities on social apps like Tinder, LinkedIn, or Telegram, they seek to establish contact with individuals who have access to sensitive information.

This approach, often referred to as “digital honey traps,” relies on emotional manipulation and trust-building to extract information. Targets are frequently young military personnel, diplomats, or researchers in the defence and technology sectors. These are individuals who may not recognise the risks of engaging with unknown contacts online.

Digital honey traps offer clear advantages to state actors. They are low-cost, difficult to trace, and do not require physical proximity to the target. With ongoing advances in artificial intelligence and deepfake technology, these operations are becoming increasingly convincing and harder to detect. It is highly likely that this espionage method will continue to grow in scale and sophistication in the coming years.