TECH CRUNCH – Feb 4 – Tinder is the latest tech service to find itself under formal investigation in Europe over how it handles user data. Under Europe's GDPR, EU citizens have a number of rights over their personal data – such as the right to request deletion or a copy of their data. It's not clear exactly which GDPR rights have been complained about by Tinder users but some have accused the company of not providing a copy of all the data it holds on them. Tinder's statement: "Transparency and protecting our users' personal data is of utmost importance to us. We are fully cooperating with the Data Protection Commission, and will continue to abide by GDPR and all applicable laws."
Month: February 2020
Grindr Accused of Selling User’s Data to Highest Bidder
LAW360 – Feb 4 – Grindr is auctioning its Android users' personal data, including the sexual orientation and exact GPS location of its largely LGBTQ user base, to the highest bidder without their consent, a user has said in a proposed class action filed in New York federal court. According to the complaint, Grindr instructs users to read the privacy policies of MoPub's "more than 160" partners prior to giving consent for their data to be shared. Given the sheer amount of reading a user would have to accomplish upon sign-up, Grindr users are unable to provide informed consent because it's next to impossible to read each advertising partner's privacy policy before the app times out.
OKCupid’s International Expansion
YAHOO FINANCE – Feb 4 – OKCupid has recently been pushing into international markets by offering a more tailored type of online matchmaking, based on each country’s cultural norms and predilections. In India, a testing ground for OKCupid, downloads increased by 1.4M in the three months ended September 2019, outpacing Bumble and local Indian dating app Shaadi. Recently, OKCupid set its sights on Israel and Turkey, and will soon be launching in Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia and the UK. Match Group, which declined to break out OKCupid results individually, saw direct international revenue rise 32% in the most recent quarter, or more than double its growth rate in North America.
Datamatch Brings Online Dating to Universities
STUDENT LIFE – Feb 2 – Datamatch is a free matchmaking service for college students that started at Harvard University but has now spread to 25 different institutions nationwide. The Harvard Computer Society first launched the service in 1994 as somewhat of a Valentine's Day love survey: Students answered 20 questions and were then matched with others whose responses most closely aligned with theirs. Each participating college has their own survey and distinct pool of users, but they work together in providing feedback on questions and planning publicity campaigns. Meanwhile the whole process is still headed by Harvard, whose algorithm that outputs the matches remains a logistical mystery.
by Samra Haseeb
See full article at Student Life
Romance Scams Are Leaving More Online Daters Broke
WAMU88.5 – Feb 4 – Being scammed by a romantic interest met online is now the most common type of consumer fraud in the United States, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In 2018, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center investigated claims from ~18,500 romance fraud victims across the country, who said they'd lost a total of $363M. People ages 40 to 69 report losing money to romance scams at the highest rates – more than twice the rate of people in their 20s. At the same time, people 70+ report the highest individual median losses – ~$10K.
Shaadi.com Accused of Using Algorithm That Discriminates by Caste
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK – Feb 3 – Indian dating site Shaadi has caused controversy by insisting that users state their caste or 'sub-community' on their profile. Users who are elite in the caste system would not be offered potential matches from the lowest of the social divisions. Caste discrimination is outlawed in India but it is not yet illegal in the UK. The Equality Act 2010 does, however, prevent discrimination on the grounds of race as well as other 'protected characteristics'.
MagicLab Billionaire Andreev to Launch New Mobile App Business
Victims of Ashley Madison’s 2015 Breach Are Being Targeted With ‘Sextortion’ Scams
CNBC – Jan 31 – Researchers at email security company Vade Secure found the new scam earlier this year, when they saw a small number of targeted emails with apparent information from Ashley Madison breach victims. In the most typical version of sextortion, fraudsters make dubious, fictional claims about users via email. They say they've recorded them in a compromising position through their computer or that they have pictures of an alleged affair they are having. But in the new Ashley Madison cases, the scammers are using carefully selected information that appear to be from real Ashley Madison subscribers, and piecing that information into more precisely targeted emails to those individuals. The ransomers then demand ~$1K in bitcoin to keep the information silent.
Dating App “Love Smart” Uses IQ Test to Vet Users
YAHOO LIFESTYLE – Jan 31 – Former MKR contestant Olga Rogacheva launched her new dating app, Love Smart, that uses a stringent intelligence test as a condition of entry. Users need to pass at least 50% of the questions to be let in at all. The test was specially formulated to combine traditional IQ metrics with pop culture and general knowledge to create a more cohesive test of intelligence.
Dating Apps Face US Inquiry Over Underage Use and Sex Offenders
ASSOCIATED PRESS – Jan 31 – Bumble, Grindr, The Meet Group and the Match Group are the current targets of the investigation by the U.S. House Oversight and Reform subcommittee on economic and consumer policy. The subcommittee is seeking information on users' ages, procedures for verifying ages, and any complaints about assaults, rape or the use of the services by minors. It is also asking for the services' privacy policies and details on what users see when they review and agree to the policies.
by Barbara Ortutay
See full article at Associated Press
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