TECH CRUNCH – June 7 – The U.K.'s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and the EU's Competition Commission both announced formal investigations into Facebook's operations. The competition regulators will scrutinize how Facebook uses data from advertising customers and users of its single sign-on tool – specifically looking at whether it uses this data as an unfair lever against competitors in markets such as classified ads. In a statement on its action, CMA CEO Andrea Coscelli said: "We intend to thoroughly investigate Facebook's use of data to assess whether its business practices are giving it an unfair advantage in the online dating and classified ad sectors. Any such advantage can make it harder for competing firms to succeed, including new and smaller businesses, and may reduce customer choice."
Month: June 2021
Match Group Partners With the UK Government to Promote COVID-19 Vaccinations
PR NEWSWIRE – June 7 – Match Group is working with the UK government to promote COVID-19 vaccinations across its brands including Tinder, Match, OurTime, OkCupid, Hinge, and Plenty of Fish. The apps will run ads for the UK government's Hope Campaign, share vaccine resources, and offer vaccination badges for singles to display on their profiles, as well as free "Super Likes" and other boost-type features for UK users who say they are vaccinated. Members will start seeing the banners and incentives starting this week, and the campaign will run throughout the month of June.
Grindr Partners With 2021 Global Black Pride Event – “What About Us”
BUSINESSWIRE – June 4 – As part of its ongoing efforts to support the Black LGBTQI community, Grindr has partnered with Global Black Pride, Global Black Gay Men Connect (GBGMC), and Black LGBTQI community-based organizations across the globe to bring the second edition of Global Black Pride. This year, the event's theme will be "What About Us" and will be primarily virtual on June 18th, 2021 at 11:00am – 8:00pm EST on Grindr's YouTube Channel. Founded in 2020, Global Black Pride has become the single largest Black LGBTQI gathering across the globe.
Match CEO Shuns Casual Dating on the App
YAHOO FINANCE – June 4 – Dating apps will now offer COVID-19 vaccination badges. Match and Match Affinity CEO Hesam Hosseini joins Yahoo Finance Live to discuss.
Q: Can you disclose at this current moment what percentage of folks have actually chosen to have the badge? Are there any negative commentary saying we don't appreciate this new feature?
A: The feature is launching actually in a week. It's really about our members choosing to disclose that.
Q: What have you seen to back up the idea that people really want to get out there and start using dating apps, not just to meet but actually get out on dates?
A: We're seeing two parallel trends. So for some, the pandemic was a moment of reflection. And as they're getting back out and starting to date, they're really looking for something meaningful. For others, it was a year with, frankly, a lack of intimacy, and they're looking for something more fun and just more casual dating this summer. And when we saw those trends, our reaction at Match was, if you're looking for something casual, that's totally cool. Just don't come to Match. Match is built for meaningful relationships.
Q: When you look across all of your brands, which platform do you see getting the biggest bump?
A: Our non-Tinder brands, including Match, combined saw 30% growth YOY.
by Akiko Fujita & Melody Hahm
See full article at Yahoo Finance
Do Dating Companies Delete Users’ Data?
AVAST BLOG – June 3 – Match Group says that they don't share users' information between sites unless they ask them to, but they also say in their privacy policy that they might share that info for "limited and critical purposes, including for corporate audit, analysis and consolidated reporting, to comply with applicable law, and help keep our users safe." According to the Bumble Privacy Policy, they don't "sell" user data, according to the legal definition of "sell," but they do share demographic data and location with third party advertisers. They also share non-personal data with third parties for "research and analysis." So what happens to all that data when users leave? Unfortunately, the answer isn't so clear, especially for Match Group. But if someone deletes Grindr account, Grindr expunges everything they have about them after seven days. Spark Networks – the owner of Jdate and ChristianMingle – is based in Germany, which means they're subject to the GDPR. They are legally obligated to delete it. Bumble promises to delete users' data starting 28 days after they deactivate it. They say that they retain any information they might need for legal purposes.
See full article at Security Boulevard
See the top news on Match Group See the top news on Spark Networks
See the top news on Bumble See the top news on Grindr
Tinder Finally Adds a Block Contacts Feature
TECH CRUNCH – June 7 – Tinder users can upload their phone contacts to select certain people that they'd rather not see on the app, whether that's an ex, a co-worker or a family member. According to a survey commissioned by Tinder, 40% of people have found an ex-partner on the app, 24% have encountered a family member and one in 10 have even encountered their professor. Tinder tested the Block Contacts feature in India, Korea and Japan, reporting that members who used the feature blocked about a dozen people on average.
Believr – a New App for LGBTQ+ Christians
RELIGION NEWS – June 7 – Believr started out as a dating app but transformed into a broader community. 'I believe the LGBTQ+ Christian space is much bigger than people realize or think,' said the founder. Adam Evers created the app he'd been longing for. As a gay Christian, he felt caught between two worlds. In LGBTQ spaces, his faith was often an obstacle, because so many in the community have been hurt by churches that believe same-sex relationships contradict Scripture.
Study: Why People Cheat
YAHOO LIFESTYLE – June 7 – A controversial new study by Ashley Madison, a dating website that encourages infidelity, has attempted to discover why it is that people choose to cheat on their partners and what relationships might gain from the act. Unsurprisingly the primary driver to stray, was around sex being absent at home. 30% revealed that it's been 5-10 years since they slept with their partner. The second key finding from the report was that many Ashley Madison members used extramarital sex as a gateway to the true self.
Match CEO: ‘We’re Going to See the Biggest Cuffing Season Ever’
YAHOO FINANCE – June 7 – While the summer is generally a time for casual dating, Match CEO Hesam Hosseini thinks the fall of 2021 looks to be particularly auspicious for more serious relationships to blossom. "We predict that come the fall we’re going to see the biggest cuffing season ever." Match will soon provide U.S. users the ability to display "vaccinated badges" on their profiles. And in partnership with the White House, the dating juggernaut is offering free "Super Likes" and other boosts for users who say they are vaccinated. The campaign will last until July 4, which President Biden set as the deadline to have 70% of Americans fully or partially vaccinated.
App Annie’s Q1 Top 10 Dating Apps by Consumer Spend
APP ANNIE – June 3 – Here are the top 10 performing dating apps worldwide in Q1 2021.
