THE VERGE – July 29 – A new policy prohibits apps focused on 'compensated sexual relationships' as of Sep 1st. Other changes coming to the platform include a new crackdown on inactive developer accounts, Google says. Google's Play Store policies already prohibit apps that promote "services that may be interpreted as providing sexual acts in exchange for compensation." But the updated wording expands this definition to explicitly include "compensated dating or sexual arrangements where one participant is expected or implied to provide money, gifts or financial support to another participant ('sugar dating')."
Category: All Adult Dating
Illicit Encounters Uses Matt Hancock’s Image on Billboard Advertising Extramarital Affairs
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.
SugarDaddyMeet Release New Feature for Vaccinated Singles
PR NEWSWIRE – May 31 – SugarDaddyMeet's "Vaccinated" badge will allow users to find singles who've been vaccinated. Users can pick from the following options:
- Fully vaccinated
- Waiting on additional dose
- Planning to get vaccinated
- Not getting vaccinated
- Prefer not to say
Mexico Has the Most ‘Sugar Daddies’
ENTREPRENEUR – Apr 17 – In Mexico there are ~183k 'sugar daddies' available on SeekingArrangement. 2nd is Brazil, with 141k 'papitos', 3rd is Colombia with 73k. The relationship between the men and women is not a simple exchange of money for company or other benefits. "Sugar daddies not only provide financial assistance, they can also be mentors", explains Brandon Wade, CEO/Founder. SeekingArrangement is the world's largest sugar dating app/site, with 22m members. "Both 'mature men' and girls "seek mutually beneficial relationships, on their own terms."
Men More Likely to Forgive Partner’s Affair Than Women
LADBIBLE – Apr 12 – Data from Ashley Madison, the dating site for 'affairs and discreet dating', shows that women are less likely to turn the other cheek over incidents of infidelity. 85% of female members had been forgiven over a previous affair, while the same could only be said for 80% of men. When asked if they would forgive a partner for playing away, 86% of men said they would, while only 82% of women reciprocated.
Feeld, The ‘App for Threesomes’, Names Ana Kirova New CEO
PR NEWSWIRE – Apr 6 – Feeld, the world's largest dating app for singles and couples seeking open relationships, has appointed a new female CEO: Ana Kirova. Kirova takes over from Dimo Trifonov, who in 2014 founded the app inspired by Kirova and their relationship.
Why Is Google Censoring This Polyamory App?
PAPER MAGAZINE – Apr 6 – When partners Amanda Wilson and David Epstein founded #Open in 2016, they sought to build a polyamorous dating app "by users for users." Recently, #Open was suspended from the Google Play app store for allegedly violating the company's "Sexual Content and Profanity policy." #Open submitted some routine changes to the app's ASO – AKA its app store optimization, which helps with an app's rankings and searchability. The keywords "threesomes," "3some," "DTF," and "kinky dates" were flagged by the store. "We're a small company. We have borrowed everything we have from friends and family and put it into this company," Wilson said. "It's just not okay to basically throw us out of their store and not have a dialogue or any real, tangible facts that we can look at."
Q&A With Sugarbook’s Founder About the App’s Ban in Malaysia and His Arrest
Q: How have you been holding up?
A: I'm feeling fine. I'm handling the necessary legal stuff with my lawyers so we just have to hang in there and persevere. Our site is still accessible via VPN and that's not something we can control on our end. We've definitely seen more sign-ups coming from across Southeast Asia.
Q: How was the arrest?
A: I was in my car at my home lobby when three undercover police cars ambushed me from the front and back. I was definitely shocked but I also saw it coming. But I was treated fine. Nobody was hostile or rude.
Q: What is your view about the way Malaysian outlets have portrayed you and Sugarbook in their coverage?
A: Malaysian media outlets brand our members as prostitutes. This is not only unjust and inaccurate but it isn't right or fair. The entire episode in Malaysia has been blown out of proportion and become extremely ugly.
Q: There have been calls on social media for you to disclose the names of sugar daddies. What is your response to that?
A: We take data and privacy very seriously and will never compromise anyone's personal identity.
Q: What are your future plans going forward?
A: Most of the initial charges against Sugarbook and myself have been dropped, with only one charge against me and that is 'inciting fear to the public.' I will not fight the Malaysian government. I am definitely deliberating whether or not to exit the Malaysian market and am considering my next moves.
Sugarbook CEO Claims Local Media Misled People Regarding His Arrest Warrant
TECH IN ASIA – Mar 30 – Sugarbook's founder and CEO Darren Chan has refuted local media reports claiming that he was arrested after he had failed to appear at the Malaysian court on Friday last week. Chan said that he was present at the appointed time, and that the magistrate revoked the arrest warrant against him on account of a "technical glitch" regarding the scheduling process. Earlier in February, the CEO was charged over the publication of a post about sugar baby universities in the country, allegedly with the intention to cause fear or unrest to the public.