BAKU, Azerbaijan - Social media pages in Azerbaijan are offering paid “fidelity checks” that use fake accounts to test whether a person will respond to romantic advances, raising concerns about privacy, manipulation and possible criminal liability.
Customers provide a link to a partner’s social media profile. An operator then contacts that person from a false account, attempts to start a conversation and sends the exchange back to the customer as the result of the test.
Some interactions involve only a few messages, while others are designed to prolong the conversation. A response to an unfamiliar account, however, does not by itself establish infidelity; the meaning depends on the content and context of the exchange.
People interviewed for a television report offered mixed views. Some said jealousy can arise in relationships but rejected secret tests, while others described the use of such services as evidence that trust between partners has already broken down.
Privacy and Criminal Liability
Lawyer Mirjavid Miriyev said the legal assessment depends on what information is collected, how it is obtained and how it is used. Viewing information that a person has made public differs from obtaining material the person intended to keep private.
Article 156.1 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code provides penalties for unlawfully collecting information regarded as a secret of private or family life, as well as distributing, selling or transferring such material to another person. The provision covers relevant documents, photographs, video and audio recordings.
According to the report, possible penalties include a fine of 1,000 to 2,000 manats, 240 to 480 hours of community service, or correctional labor for up to one year.
Calling the service a relationship test does not remove potential liability. If private or family information is secretly gathered and passed to a customer, the conduct could become grounds for a criminal investigation, depending on the evidence and circumstances.
Sources: Vesti Baku; television report.