BBC – 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.
Category: Outlets – BBC
Is It Fair For A Politician To Use Tinder To Win Votes?
BBC – June 25 – Political campaigns are desperate to new find ways to reach voters. A Democratic candidate in New York City is trying Tinder and other dating apps to start conversations about his campaign. Suraj Patel, president of a hotel management company and Obama presidential campaign veteran, recently hosted a "Tinder banking" party, where he and his campaign aides logged into accounts on dating apps in an unconventional attempt at voter outreach. The accounts, and attractive photographs of would-be suitors, weren't always their own – Mr Patel's, for instance, used that of his brother. According to campaign spokesperson Lis Smith, the Tinder banking is part of a concerted effort to find voters "where they are". Tinder's terms of use prohibit the use of bots and "third-party applications" that interact with members and ban the unauthorised use of the service for "commercial purposes".
A Dating School For Chinese Men
Dating App Flirtar Uses Augmented Reality
Craigslist Drops Dating Ads After New Law
BBC.COM – Mar 23 – Craigslist has closed its dating ads section in the US, in response to a new bill against sex trafficking. The bill states that websites can now be punished for "facilitating" prostitution and sex trafficking. The company said keeping the section open in the US was too much of a risk. In March, US congress passed the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (Fosta). It will apply to all states in the US. Websites are not usually held responsible for the content that members post – as long as illegal material is removed as soon as the service provider is made aware.
Match.com’s Chatbot Lara Boosted Registration Rates 30%
by Zoe Kleinman
See full article at BBC
Dating App Mamba Aims To Boost Russian Voter Turnout
Tinder Fights One-man Dating Platform
BBC – May 16 – Tinder has filed a legal objection to a dating platform created by a British man on which he is the only male date. Shed Simove called the app Shinder and said he built it to find himself a partner. However, when he tried to trademark it, a Notice of Threatened Opposition was filed to the Intellectual Property Office by Tinder. Mr Simove doesn't believe he is a threat to Tinder. "It's unlikely that the female population will stop using Tinder and start using Shinder." He heard from others who wanted to create a similar platform for themselves which was why he decided to trademark it.
by Zoe Kleinman
See full article at BBC
Guardian Soulmates Users Hit With Spam After Data Exposure
BBC – May 8 – Users of Guardian Soulmates have been targeted with sexually explicit spam emails after their contact information was accidentally exposed on the dating site. The Guardian newspaper's publisher, which runs the service, said "human error" was at fault. The problem has now been fixed.
by Chris Baraniuk
See full article at BBC
“Hey Saturday” – The UK’s First Online Dating Profile Photographer
by Emily Young
See full article at BBC News
Mark Brooks: We're working on an analysis of photo service providers. Please email me at mark@courtlandbrooks.com for a side-by-side of the photo providers that are currently servicing the dating industry.