HAPPIFUL – Apr 6 – As a recent report from eHarmony details, over half of single Brits are turning to virtual dating. Not only does virtual dating allow users to keep on dating, a quarter of singletons said it gave them the opportunity to cut a date short if it wasn't working out, 'without any real life awkwardness'.
Category: All UK & Europe
Grindr and OkCupid Spread Personal Details, Study Says
NEW YORK TIMES – Jan 13 – Popular dating services like Grindr, OkCupid and Tinder are spreading user information like dating choices and precise location to advertising and marketing companies in ways that may violate privacy laws, according to a new report released by the Norwegian Consumer Council, a government-funded nonprofit organization in Oslo. Grindr also sent a user's location to multiple companies, which may then share that data with many other businesses, the report said. OkCupid app sent a user's ethnicity and answers to personal profile questions to a firm that helps companies tailor marketing messages to users. OkCupid has recently posted a list of ~300 advertising and analytics "partners" with which it may share users' information. Tinder sent a user's gender and the gender the user was looking to date to two marketing firms. The Norwegian group said it filed complaints asking regulators in Oslo to investigate Grindr and five ad tech companies for possible violations of the European data protection law.
by Natasha Singer & Aaron Krolik
See full article at New York Times
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1.6M Britons Broke up Over Brexit
THE BIG SMOKE – Dec 23 – eHarmony discovered that 1.6M Britons broke up because of Brexit-based disagreements. Opposing political views led to ~2.7M people throughout the UK ending a relationship in the last year. Online dating profiles that mentioned Brexit – either positively or negatively – received up to 90% more messages than the average member.
Majority of Dating App Users Feel Unsafe
OZY.COM – Dec 19 – In the U.K. in the last four years, crimes involving dating apps have doubled in some parts of the country, according to a BBC investigation. And in the U.S., as per a recent survey: 85% of dating app users feel unsafe on these platforms. The online survey conducted by MyLife.com, a reputation management platform, collected information from 1,866 people. Of those who hadn't used a dating app, 37% said it's because they don't feel safe.
By 2037, Most Children Will Be Born to Parents Who Met Online
YAHOO NEWS UK – Nov 27 – By 2037, more babies will be born to parents who met online than offline, according to a research by eHarmony and the Imperial College Business School. Even within the next decade, 40% of babies born will be so-called "e-babies", born to parents who met on the Internet. The data highlights the shifting habits of those looking to meet a partner: around a third (32%) of relationships started between 2015 and 2019 started online, compared to only 19% between 2005 and 2014. By 2030, the UK will reach the "tipping point" that more than 50% of relationships will begin online.
Singles Can Now Use Tinder to Get Involved in Election
MIRROR.CO.UK – Nov 22 – Tinder is hoping to get single people involved in upcoming UK election as it launches Swipe Cards which will direct users to register to vote. This new feature is a first for UK Tinder users. From now until November 26, people with the app will be served a swipe card while they're looking through potential matches. This card highlights that a single vote is a powerful one.
Datingroo’s Study on Smartphone Data Access
THE GOOD MEN PROJECT – Nov 2 – A study by Datingroo reveals the amount of information dating apps have access to. Datingroo analyzed the UK's top 10 dating apps.
- 100% of the tested apps request access to photos, media, and files stored on the smartphone
- 90% can modify and even delete content in the internal storage
- 80% access the phone's location and wifi-connection
- 70% access contacts and accounts
- 60% know the identity of the user, their camera and phone status
- 50% of the apps have accessibility to the devices ID and call information
- 30% gain control over the microphone and can record audio files from it
- 10% are even allowed to send and receive SMS from the smartphone
Muslim Speed Dating
BBC – Oct 30 – Some young Muslims in London are turning to speed dating to find love. A recent session was organized by Mmm Dating.
Tinder and Other Dating Apps Don’t Comply With Dutch Privacy Laws
by Janene Pieters
See full article at NL Times
How Has Brexit Influenced Dating in the UK
FEMALE FIRST – Oct 21 – eHarmony found that women who mention Brexit in their dating profiles receive 86% more messages, men receive 90% more messages. ~60% of active dating app users said they have had at least one private conversation about Brexit with their potential date on dating platforms. Datingroo research shows that 55% of survey respondents said they have been refused by someone whose beliefs on Brexit were different than theirs.