GIZMODO – May 29 – A database containing records of tens of millions of users of various dating apps has been found publicly accessible, according to a security researcher Jeremiah Fowler. The 42.5M records, which appeared to belong to multiple apps, were stored on a U.S.-based server and contained the IP addresses and location data of American users. The apps to which the data belongs include Cougardating, Christiansfinder, Mingler, Fwbs (friends with benefits), and "TS," which Fowler speculates is likely short for "transsexual." The database also contained Chinese text, he said, leading him to believe its owner is also Chinese.
Month: May 2019
Tinder Is Launching Its ‘Festival Mode’ in Australia
Momo’s Momentum Returns as Censorship Fears Fade
THE MOTLEY FOOL – May 29 – Momo, the owner of two top dating apps in China, shed 30% of its value over the past 12 months as investors fled Chinese tech stocks amid the escalating trade war. It was also hit by a triple whammy of bad news over the past month – regulators ordered the removal of its Tantan app from Chinese app stores, Apple suspended in-app payments for Tantan, and the company voluntarily suspended news feed posts in both Momo and Tantan for an internal review. Momo's revenue rose 35% annually to $555M in the first quarter, beating estimates by $23M. Its monthly active users on Momo and Tantan increased 11% to 114.4M, while its paid users on both apps jumped 73% to 14M. Those growth rates look solid, but Momo's growth in revenue and MAUs decelerated significantly over the past year. Momo expects its revenue to rise 27% to 30% annually during the second quarter. That forecast is encouraging, since it indicates that Momo can still squeeze out revenue from its namesake app's existing users. It also suggests that Momo could easily beat its own guidance if its services are fully restored during the quarter.
Marie Claire and Bumble Launch Glass Ceiling Awards to Celebrate Women’s Achievements
MUMBRELLA – May 29 – The inaugural Marie Claire and Bumble Glass Ceiling Awards will be held next month, with support from Estée Lauder, to recognise "women smashing gender boundaries in the workplace". Awards for eight categories will be handed out on 19 June in Sydney to both women and companies ensuring gender equality in their workplaces.
- Majority Rules Award: a business in which women make up the majority of the board or leadership team
- Pay Equity Award Family
- Friendly Award
- The Future Shaper Award
- Social Conscience Award
- Mentor Award
- The Ceiling Smasher Award: an iconic woman who has paved the way for other women
- Bumble's Making Moves Award: a people's choice award recognising local women who are smashing the glass ceiling in their chosen industry or making positive change in their community
Hinge Saw 30% Increase in Gay Profiles After Pete Buttigieg Revealed He Met Husband On It
TOWLEROAD – May 29 – Pete Buttigieg's revelation that he met his husband Chasten on the gay dating app Hinge spurred a sizable increase in profiles created by gay men. There's been a 30% increase in profiles created by gay, male individuals since April 1.
BharatMatrimony Continues to Match Millions of Indians in the Times of Tinder
YOURSTORY – May 28 – With 3.72M active profiles as on date, every year, more than 100K success stories are reported by members on India's largest matrimonial site, Bharatmatrimony. Bharatmatrimony started in 1997, and is now a listed company with estimated revenue of Rs 350 crore in 2018 ($50M). The company is now eyeing the $56B wedding services market in India, with services like MatrimonyMandaps (makes wedding venue booking easy), MatrimonyPhotography, MatrimonyBazaar (wedding related products and services like honeymoon packages, jewellery, and catering), and MatrimonyDirectory (a wedding classifieds portal with ~50K vendors). The company's founder Murugavel Janakiraman got married through his own portal. He does not see the rise of online dating apps as posing much threat. He is playing the 'tradition' game. And for all practical purposes, tradition trumps everything else in India.
Grindr’s IntoMore Magazine Looses Millions of Visits
THEGAYUK – May 28 – After the effective disbanding of its editorial team, Grindr's online magazine, Into has lost millions of visitors. Into was the world's most read LGBT+ news site, topping ~7.5M hits per month according to SimilarWeb, however after it was announced that the site’s editorial team had been let go, the site has lost over 7M monthly visitors.
Slow Dating App Once Acquires Pickable
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Lebanon Blocks Grindr in Latest Attack on LGBT+ Community
INDEPENDENT.CO.UK – May 28 – Grindr has been blocked for most users in Lebanon, sparking concern over a widening crackdown on the LGBT+ community in the country. Lebanon has traditionally been seen as more forward-thinking with regards to LGBT+ rights in comparison to the rest of the Middle East. But despite some gains in recent years, the community still faces widespread discrimination.
Momo Q1 Results – Revenue Up 35%
PR NEWSWIRE – May 28 – Net revenues increased 35% YOY to RMB3,722.9M ($554.7M) in the Q1 of 2019. Net income attributable to Momo decreased to RMB289.3M ($43.1M) from RMB825.2M in the same period of 2018. Monthly Active Users on Momo app were 114.4M in March 2019, compared to 103M in March 2018. Total paying users of live video service and value-added service, including 5M paying users of Tantan, were 14M, up from 8.1M in Q1 2018. Live video service revenues were RMB2,689.4M ($400M), up 14% YOY. The growth in live video revenues was contributed by the increase in quarterly paying users, as well as the increase in average revenues per paying user per quarter.