BRISBANE TIMES – Australian and European regulators are sharing information about the market power of big tech companies ahead of a pivotal court ruling. The test case in the Netherlands will decide if Apple must overhaul its App Store across Europe to comply with competition laws. Martijn Snoep, chairman of the Authority for Consumers and Markets in The Hague, imposed sanctions on Apple last year after Match Group lodged a formal complaint over the 30% fee on all in-app purchases. Snoep said the problem was global and required regulators to share information so they could protect consumers. Apple outlined some changes to its payments on June 11, but is fighting the Dutch regulator through the courts because of the sweeping impact on its revenue if it loses, which means the case could go to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. South Korea has also acted against Apple over its payment services and the United Kingdom's Competition and Markets Authority said in June it would investigate Apple and Google over cloud gaming restrictions and app store payment practices.
Category: Match Group
Muzmatch (now Muzz) Loses Bid to Appeal UK Trademark Row
LAW360 – A London judge has declined to grant Muzmatch, a British dating app for Muslims, permission to appeal his ruling that Muzmatch had infringed the trademarks of the Match Group.
The Teens Slipping Through the Cracks on Dating Apps
THE ATLANTIC – Most dating apps mandate that users be at least 18 to join. When signing up, users must provide their birthday or link a social-media profile that includes their date of birth. But they are not required to provide any proof of their age. A representative for Bumble shared that the company uses "automated and live verification procedures" to block users under 18 and prevent them from rejoining. Match Group said that the company uses "technology including AI" to search for suspicious language "that indicates a user may be underage". The GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting found that from 2015 to 2021, ~100 men were charged in the US with crimes related to sexually assaulting minors or attempting to engage in a sexual act with a minor through Grindr. Governments have started to take notice of reports like these.
by Moises Mendez II
See full article at The Atlantic
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Match Faces Probe Over Dating Photos’ Alleged Use in Database
BLOOMBERG LAW – Match Group is under pressure from the FTC to cooperate with an investigation into whether its OkCupid app illegally shared data with a facial recognition company. OkCupid has allegedly allowed Clarifai to use OkCupid profiles to train the facial recognition algorithm which could detect age, sex and race.
Is Online Dating Recesion-proof?
BLOOMBERG – Evercore ISI Analyst Shweta Khajuria joins Emily Chang to discuss this pivotal time for dating apps as the world emerges from the pandemic – and why dating apps could be resilient to a recession.
Match Group and Google Reach an Interim Compromise Over App Payments
TECH CRUNCH – Match Group is getting along better with Google. On Friday, Match withdrew its request for a temporary restraining order against Google, which it accuses of wielding unfair monopoly power in its mobile app marketplace. Match filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google earlier this month over the company's restrictions on Android in-app payments, which drive app users toward remaining in its mobile ecosystem. The company filed the temporary restraining order request a day after suing Google.
Background Checks on Dating Apps
EYEWITNESS NEWS – One study found 81% of online daters misrepresented some aspect about themselves, be it height, weight, or age. The Federal Trade Commission says phishing and dating scams on apps cost victims $304M in 2020, double the amount of the previous year. Top10.com researched the background check and user verification processes for the most popular dating apps and websites.
Match Group
The company announced in March 2021 a partnership with nonprofit background check technology Garbo. The app provides historical information about domestic violence and abuse.
Badoo
The app makes sure the person is legitimate by having users take an image in a unique pose to verify. Badoo also allows users to further verify using a phone number or social network account and marks verification on their profile.
Bumble
Bumble uses a combination of AI and human-led monitoring systems to review accounts and messages for violations of their terms of service. These include imagery or language that discriminates against someone's race, ethnicity, disability, gender expression, and a range of other criteria.
AdultFriendFinder
AdultFriendFinder doesn't do background checks. While users are to accept sole responsibility for their own interactions with other users, users have recourse to report account abuse, and moderators are also looking out for abnormal behavior on the site.
Ashley Madison
User verification and background checks are counterintuitive to the goal of Ashley Madison.
Happn
Similar to Badoo, Happn users have the opportunity to certify their profiles by taking a video posing with unique head gestures, as instructed by the app. While Happn claims noncertified profiles are not fake, they do not provide any additional background on whether a vetting process exists for noncertified profiles.
Zoosk
Zoosk provides online dating safety tips for people new to dating online. Although, in those tips, it's suggested that users do their own research on potential suitors because Zoosk asserts it does not "routinely screen our members, inquire into the background of our members, attempt to verify information provided by our members, or conduct criminal screenings of our members."
Eharmony
While the dating service does not conduct an official background check, it does provide users with an 80-question survey to narrow in on the specificity of the website's services.
Grindr
Grindr notes in its terms of service that it does not conduct criminal or other background screenings of its users and doesn't verify the information users provide.
by Vivian Muniz
See full article at PA Homepage
Investor Wariness of Subscription Tech Services Extended to Dating Apps
by Laura Forman
See full article at Wall Street Journal
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Match Group Law Chief Pay Soared as Company Prepped Google Suit
BLOOMBERG LAW – Match Group gave its chief business affairs and legal officer a more than four-fold pay boost as the company prepared an antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.'s Google that was filed this week. Jared Sine received ~$16.9M in total compensation last year, including a stock award valued at ~$15.6M, a $500K base salary, and a $900K bonus, the company disclosed in a proxy filing. He received ~$3.6M in 2020. He joined Match as its general counsel in 2016, became legal chief four years later, and took on the additional business affairs title in 2021.
Match Group Sues Google Over ‘Monopoly Power’ in Android App Payments
TECH CRUNCH – The lawsuit, filed Monday in California's Northern District, accuses Google of deploying "anticompetitive tactics" to maintain a monopoly on the Android mobile ecosystem. Match's lawsuit is the latest instance of app developers demanding relief from Google and Apple over the 30% standard cut – now, sometimes 15% – that those tech giants extract from in-app payments. Google dismissed the new Match lawsuit as a "self-interested campaign" to avoid paying its fair share.