Questions continue to surface about the buzzy dating app Goose.
The latest round of suspicion was triggered by a Pop Crave post. In recent weeks, the mega-popular account has curiously mixed in posts about Goose along with its usual offering of entertainment news. On Wednesday, Pop Crave reported that Goose has attracted more than 150,000 users in five weeks.
No further context was provided, providing gays with an information vacuum to probe.
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One of them, a Nashville-based creator named Chase, shared a story about Goose’s attempt to collaborate with him. Earlier this summer, the platform faced backlash for its terms of service. The fine print seemed to insinuate Goose’s total ownership over member content, including photos sent between users.
Goose: we’re for the boys
Also Goose, quite literally, in their terms of service: we will actively exploit you and we own anything that you upload or send on our app in perpetuity
(Thank you @awejones for clocking) https://t.co/ScG2sxv3AL pic.twitter.com/3gQuFIPLGU
— alxndr (@alexaldente) June 27, 2026
On July 20, Goose announced it had clarified its terms. “The limited permission you grant Goose exists only to enable the app to function and help keep our community safe,” it said in an IG graphic. “We do not sell your photos, your profiles or your identity.”
Chase says he heard from a Goose rep. named “Nico” that same day.
We reached out to Goose for comment on Pop Crave and its dealings with influencers. While they offered no comment on Pop Crave, co-founder Derek Chadwick defended the company’s practices when it comes to working with creators.
“Nico from Goose”
With 113,600 followers on X, Chase attracts a sizable audience with his musings and (occasional) thirst traps.
On July 20, Chase received a DM from Goose’s official X account. In it, he says a person named “Nico” introduced himself and implied he wanted to collaborate. Out of curiosity, Chase took the call.
According to Chase, Nico acknowledged the criticism that Goose was receiving, and said that’s where he was hoping Chase and other creators could come in. Nico wanted him to create a video downplaying the uproar over Goose’s ToS.
Chase alleges that Nico asked him how often he reads the complete ToS of every app he downloads.
“My eyes were rolling back in my head by the end of it,” he told Queerty.
Regarding compensation, Chase says he asked for the rate and was told $800 to $1K for three posts, along with a $500 bonus if his videos reached 100,000 views within three days.
“It was very sketchy,” he said. “It was very much like, ‘We need you to convince them that everything is fine,’ when like very clearly everything that’s been raised is valid and concerning.”
At least one other person said he had the same experience. It doesn’t appear that he took Goose up on its offer, either.
they offered me money to tweet that they definitely weren’t in the wrong for their terms of service or using AI instagram models to poach subscribers
https://t.co/y9wTA9WvFW
— chase (@cfree94) August 5, 2026
SAME lol
— grant
(@urdadssidepiece) August 6, 2026
Related
Derek Chadwick responds to accusations Goose app used AI Instagram accounts to tempt guys
Model and actor Derek Chadwick launched Goose last month as an antidote to Grindr.
Goose’s response
Chadwick, a model/influencer most known for his vegan cosmetic line, Chaddy, confirmed that Goose works with creators to promote their product–like many other brands. “These conversations are part of a paid social creator outreach program for brand marketing,” he said.
Despite being paid, Chadwick said there’s “no expectation that creators are performing PR on Goose’s behalf.”
More broadly, Chadwick touted Goose’s response to community concerns.
“Goose has continued to listen to its community and recently updated its Terms of Service to make the language clearer and better reflect how the platform operates,” he said. “Members retain ownership of their content, and the limited license granted to Goose exists solely to support the functionality and safety of the platform.”
What other questions are being asked?
There have been previous allegations that Goose has employed AI-generated models.
Earlier this summer, Wired published a story alleging the platform is a “psyop.” In it, writer EJ Dickson spoke with multiple sources who said dubious-looking IG accounts started messaging them with invite codes to join Goose.
Wired identified nearly two dozen such accounts, and determined their photos were almost certainly AI-generated. Adding to the suspicion, the accounts were all created in May or June, and had imbalanced following-follower ratios.
In a previous statement to Queerty, Chadwick said all profiles on Goose are real.
“Goose is disrupting the gay app space by creating a place where real people can make real friends, dates, and community – our team hand-picked every person who received an invite to our app and we are proud of the community we are building,” he said. “We work 24/7 to keep our app safe and free of the fake profiles that have soured other platforms. Clearly our competitors are taking notice.”
Notably, that doesn’t address the allegations within the Wired article. There was no suggestion of AI fakery on Goose itself, just in the potential use of AI-generated influencers promoting Goose on IG.
In 2026, many brands work with creators and even deploy AI-created models. With Goose, the issue is disclosure. People want to know what they’re engaging with.
Two months into the company’s launch, the answer is murky.
Related
Grindr’s phantom profiles, a sketchy Goose & Sniffies makes a major change
Here’s what’s happening in The Gay Appmosphere…
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