Category: Outlets – BBC

Dating Agency Brings ‘Hope’ to Adults With Learning Disabilities

Posted on February 23, 2019

Safesoulmate logoBBC – Feb 23 – Not-for-profit Safe Soulmate has been launched by Christine O'Neil and Vicky Baddeley. About 130 people have signed up to its first event in Cambridge on Saturday. Safe Soulmate, which caters exclusively for adults with autism and learning disabilities, is due to run as a pilot for six months after receiving £10K from the National Lottery Community Fund. Mrs O'Neill said there would also be a twice-weekly social group in Cambridge for people who wanted to "find like-minded friends and love".

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Women ‘Victims in 63% of Romance Scams’

Posted on February 11, 2019

RomancescamBBC – Feb 11 – Victims of romance scams – the majority of whom are women – lost an average of £11,145 each last year, according to new data from police reporting centre Action Fraud. ~£50M was lost in these scams in 2018 when fraudsters pretend to be romantically attached. In 2018, 4,555 reports of romance fraud were made to Action Fraud. Total losses were up by 27% compared with the previous year. The total is likely to be higher as many victims are thought to have suffered in secret. The average age of a romance fraud victim is 50 and 63% of victims are women.

by Kevin Peachey
See full article at BBC

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Late Night Discussion on BBC Asian Network About Online Dating with Mark Brooks

Posted on January 10, 2019

Dating apps generalOPW – Jan 9 – Mark Brooks was interviewed on BBC Radio Asian Network on Tuesday night about dating apps and Indian dating. You can listen to the episode here (Mark is at 52:56).

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Apple in Court Over 30% App Commission

Posted on December 3, 2018

Apple phonesBBC – Nov 29 – Apple is facing the US Supreme Court to defend the commission it makes on iPhone app sales. The company takes a 30% commission on every sale and is accused by a group of consumers of breaching anti-trust laws because there is no alternative place to buy an iPhone app. Apple is appealing against a previous decision made by a lower court. The case began in 2011 and was revived last year. Apple says if the legal action is allowed to proceed, it could affect other technology giants as well – Google and Microsoft, for example, also take 30% commission on app sales.

See full article at BBC

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Taiwan Rejects Same-sex Marriage in Referendums

Posted on November 28, 2018

Taiwan-gay-marriageBBC – Nov 27 – Voters in Taiwan have rejected legalising same-sex marriages in a series of referendums on Saturday. Conservative groups asked whether the current legislation – defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman in Taiwan's Civil Code – should remain unchanged, while LGBT activists asked for to be amended to include same-sex couples. Voters backed the conservative "pro-family" groups. The government said that Saturday's referendums would not affect it bringing in the changes required by the court ruling. The authorities are now expected to pass a special law, without amending the Civil Code. But campaigners fear the eventual legislation will be weaker. One possible outcome could be that gay couples are given legal protection – but not allowed to get married.

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China Shuts Down 4,000 Websites

Posted on September 26, 2018

China flagBBC – Sep 25 – China has shut down thousands of websites and online accounts following a three-month campaign against "harmful" content, the state news agency Xinhua has announced. The content, on 4K sites, included infringements of copyright and material spreading "improper values, vulgarity or obscenity", it said.

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Sugar Daddy Phenomenon In Africa

Posted on September 6, 2018

Busara center for behavioral economicsBBC – Sep 6 – In Kenya, more and more young women are using sugar daddies to fund a lifestyle worth posting on social media. This year the Busara Centre for Behavioural Economics conducted a study for BBC Africa in which they questioned 252 female university students between the ages of 18 and 24. They found that ~20% of the young women who participated in the research has or has had a "sponsor." No-one really knows how many sugar relationships end in sexual abuse or physical harm. Kenyan academics and NGOs have made extensive studies of domestic violence, and of the risks faced by sex workers. But on the subject of transactional sex there is no research.

by Nyasha Kadandara
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Grindr To Go Public

Posted on August 30, 2018

Grindr logo new dec 13BBC – Aug 29 – Gay dating app Grindr is going to list its shares on international stock exchanges, under a plan submitted by its Chinese parent company Kunlun Group. Kunlun Group's board said that going public would "strengthen" Grindr's competitiveness and help the business continue to develop. The Chinese tech firm originally bought a 61.5% stake in 2016 from the company's US founders. It then took full control in January.

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Google Adds Digital Wellbeing Controls To Its OS

Posted on August 9, 2018

Android PieBBC – Aug 9 – Android Pie, Google's latest version of its mobile operating system, has been released. One of the new software's headline features is its new Digital Wellbeing controls. These are in part a response to criticism that smart devices can be "addictive" and disruptive to our sleep patterns. Users can see how much time they spend on their device, with a breakdown of the hours and minutes dedicated to their most popular apps. Timers can then be set to limit usage of specific programs. When the limit nears, users get a warning – and when it is reached the app's icon becomes greyed out to prevent it from launching. The lockout can, however, be overridden.

by Leo Kelion
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The App Inclov Changing The Dating Scene For India’s Disabled People

Posted on July 20, 2018

Inclov iconBBC – July 18 – In India, people with disabilities are often invisible in day-to-day life, despite numbering tens of millions. The country is notoriously disability-unfriendly, in terms of infrastructure, attitudes and policy. Many families who have children with disabilities rarely take them out in public, as it is seen as a source of stigma and shame. Dating app Inclov gives people with disabilities more opportunities to socialise. The idea for Inclov was born after Shankar Srinivasan and Kalyani Khona decided they wanted to "do something in the matchmaking space" and realised very quickly that no-one was thinking about people with disabilities. They began with an "offline" agency called Wanted Umbrella which evolved into a static site and then a mobile app. They raised money through a crowdfunding campaign where they were able to raise 615k rupees (£6,976; $8,998) to hire an app developer. They have carried out ~50 other events in cities across India, including Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Jaipur. The last event had ~50 people in attendance.

See full article at BBC

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