LAW.COM – Jan 7 – Whether a website should face accountability for the actions of its users is getting new examination in a harassment suit against Grindr. Attorney Tor Ekeland described Grindr as "a targeting system" that tracked a harassment victim's geolocation despite him not having the app. But opposing counsel from Bryan Cave says even if Grindr "somehow magically tracked people," it would still get Section 230 immunity. Arguing Monday before a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, attorney Tor Ekeland asked to revive a suit in which his client alleges an ex-boyfriend created a fake Grindr account under the client's name, then used the profile to send app users to the client's house and workplace. The suit was previously tossed under immunity granted to online services for third-party created content via Section 230 of the Stored Communications Act (CDA). Ekeland said that alleged stalkers used competitors to Grindr to stalk his client, and that the competitors addressed his client's concerns right away. The lawsuit also argued that information that was used to allegedly harass the plaintiff – including "categories in its drop-down menus" portraying him "as interested in hardcore sex" – were created by Grindr and thus outside the scope of the CDA. Grindr's counsel, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner partner Daniel Waxman characterized the suit as a "straightforward CDA case."
Month: January 2019
ChristianConnection.com Is Launching a New Campaign in the UK
Late Night Discussion on BBC Asian Network About Online Dating with Mark Brooks
OPW – Jan 9 – Mark Brooks was interviewed on BBC Radio Asian Network on Tuesday night about dating apps and Indian dating. You can listen to the episode here (Mark is at 52:56).
Young Indians Are Driven by Self-discovery, Reveals Tinder Study
LIVEMINT.COM – Jan 9 – The 18-25 year olds prefer to date as a way to learn more about themselves. They are investing at least five years on self discovery, according to a new study done by Tinder. Also, 56% young Indians in the above age group believe in making their parents proud, followed by building strong friendships (56%), finishing education (52%) and exploring the world along with meeting different people (42%).
Bumble Now Lets Users Filter Matches by Their Star Sign
TENDAILY.COM – Jan 9 – Astro-obsessed daters are thrilled with the new feature but is swiping right based on someone's star sign the ideal way to find love? According to renowned Australian psychic and founder of Absolute Soul Secrets Rose Smith, the whole idea of a list of prerequisites – the ideal age, salary, height, eye colour – is "problematic." Adding the ideal star sign into the mix makes the already small pool of 'perfect matches' even smaller. "But," Smith said, "it does have some validity." "All 12 star signs have positive and negative attributes that you should keep in mind," she explained. If arrogant people really rub you up the wrong way, maybe steer clear of outspoken, bolshy signs like Leo, Taurus and Sagittarius.
Ohlala.com, Paid Dating Platform, Claims 120K Users
INTERNET WORLD – Jan 9 – "Paid dating" dating app Ohlala.com claims 120K users in Germany, according its founder Pia Poppenreiter. Ohlala is her second start-up she is involved in. Previously, she founded Peppr in 2014 together with Florian Hackenberger. The company wanted to provide a mediation service for escorts and freelancers. She left the company in 2015 following disagreements with Hackenberger, and started Ohlala. The app allows users to be paid (100 – 200Eur) for going on a date. The revenue us generated by selling Ohlala coins to unlock chats. In 2019 Pia going to publish a book about her experience as a businesswoman.
Lonely? Tech Firms Hope You’ll Use an App for That
FLTIMES – Jan 9 – Meeting new friends – and then maintaining those friendships as a busy adult – is not a problem unique to younger generations, says Miriam Kirmayer, a therapist and friendship researcher at McGill University. It's something most adults experience after college. Social media allows users to keep in touch with friends and family without ever picking up the phone. A new study conducted by UC San Diego researchers, found that 3 out of 4 Americans experience "moderate to high levels of loneliness." Harvard psychology professor Matthew Lieberman says our need to connect with other humans is even more fundamental than our need for food or shelter. New York City-based Cuddlist sends out "professional cuddlers" to hold lonely people in a nonsexual way for $80 an hour. Then there's HearMe.app, which allows users to share their thoughts with an attentive stranger for $10 a week. These apps treat symptoms of loneliness, but there's a wave of tech companies attempting to treat loneliness at its core – by helping people make real in-person connections. But the graveyard for meetup and friendship apps is depressingly expansive. Tinder launched a friendship feature in 2016 called Tinder Social, which allowed users to organize group meetups with strangers. A year later, that feature was disabled. Bumble, also launched its friendship feature Bumble BFF in 2016. However, the company was not willing to share numbers on how many of its users signed up. Despite the challenges, new players keep diving in. When it comes to friend-making apps, there's Hey! VINA for women, Atleto for sports lovers, Meet My Dog for animal lovers, and Cliq, We3, and Squad for those looking to meet up in groups. Frendli, DoWhop, and Beekn are all trying to get people out in the real world to make new friends.
by Brittany Meiling
See full article at FLTimes
TrulyMadly Turns Profitable in FY18 But Revenue Down by 50%
ENTRACKR – Jan 9 – Online dating has been a tough business to crack in India. This can be gauged from the financial performance of TrulyMadly. While the company has turned profitable in FY18, its revenue has suffered a 50% dip during the same fiscal. With Rs 2.3 lakhs ($3K) worth of profit, TrulyMadly has posted a revenue of Rs 3.61 crore ($500K) in FY18 as compared to Rs 7.21 crore ($1M) in the preceding fiscal. Subscription has contributed ~54.2% of overall revenue in FY18. Its revenue from paid service stood at Rs 1.95 crore ($276K) which is 69.8% up from the previous fiscal. Founded by Sachin Bhatia, Hitesh Dhingra, and Rahul Kumar, TrulyMadly lets singles discover each other through shared interests and personality profiles. The company competes with Tinder, Hyderabad-based QuackQuack, Woo, Bumble and a handful of others.
Tinder Swipeout: the Dating App Crashes for Users Around the World
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Jan 8 – Users in the UK and Europe as well as parts of the US are having difficulty with the app. Instead of profiles of a potential date appearing the Tinder users have been seeing a 'Error 5000' message.
Q&A with Tinder CEO Elie Seidman about His Work Day
FAST COMPANY – Jan 8 – The Tinder CEO reveals his tips and tools for getting the most out of every day.
Q: What's your on switch?
A: Having kids has made me an early riser. My day begins at 5 a.m. I'll go to the gym and then I'll swim. Before heading into the office, I like to put together priorities for the day: the things that must be done today. Doing this ensures that my schedule doesn't control me, because I'm mindful of the big picture.
Q: What's your off switch?
A: Since I'm an early riser, I also tend to end the day on the early side. I love books and like to read fiction to wind down.
Q: What books are on your nightstand?
A: Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. This book is ultimately about the role of luck in life. The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy by Bill Walsh. This is, in my opinion, the best book on leadership by far. The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family's Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World by Lucette Lagnado. My mother grew up in France, but she was born in Egypt. This book is about the world her parents lived in.
Q: What classic product do you still use because you believe nobody's ever improved on it?
A: An analog IWC Big Pilot watch, the 1987 Toyota FJ60 Land Cruiser, the 1980s Mercedes 300 TD, a headphone amp with vacuum tubes and paper and pen. Nothing will ever improve upon it.