Platforms often use personal data for purposes unrelated to finding love.
Dating apps are growing in popularity every year, but a Mozilla study shows that their reliability in protecting users personal data is getting worse. Despite the developers ' assurances about the need for extensive data collection to improve the quality of matchmaking, the effectiveness of this approach remains questionable.
Most of the 25 apps analyzed (88%) have problems with compliance with privacy standards, including unauthorized distribution of data to third parties. The integration of artificial intelligence and deepfakes only increases the need for tougher data protection measures, but applications seem to ignore this need.
Companies claim that providing information is voluntary. However, this is often deceitful - for example, Tinder claims that it collects accurate location data only with the user's consent, but without this information, the app does not work.
For example, in 2022, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was forced to send a request to clarify the circumstances of the Match Group transaction to transfer photos from OkCupid for training facial recognition systems without user consent.
The integration of modern AI technologies represents a whole new class of privacy threats that even current standards are poorly able to deal with.
Other disturbing facts about dating apps:
Dating apps are growing in popularity every year, but a Mozilla study shows that their reliability in protecting users personal data is getting worse. Despite the developers ' assurances about the need for extensive data collection to improve the quality of matchmaking, the effectiveness of this approach remains questionable.
Most of the 25 apps analyzed (88%) have problems with compliance with privacy standards, including unauthorized distribution of data to third parties. The integration of artificial intelligence and deepfakes only increases the need for tougher data protection measures, but applications seem to ignore this need.
Intimate details in plain sight
To find a couple, apps encourage you to share extremely personal information. In addition to detailed questionnaires, they ask for photos, videos, "voice content" and many other details. Some collect extremely sensitive data about users 'religion, ethnicity, HIV status, political views, sexual preferences, and even "sexual experience". Also, to get the status of a "verified" user, many applications request biometric data.Companies claim that providing information is voluntary. However, this is often deceitful - for example, Tinder claims that it collects accurate location data only with the user's consent, but without this information, the app does not work.
More than meets the eye
In addition to the data that users "share" consciously, applications extract a lot of other information. Video chats, private messages, and in-app activities such as swipes and matches can be used for various purposes, including violating your privacy. About a quarter of apps have access to content metadata (date and place when a photo or video was created). In addition, 64% of privacy policies mention generating user inferences for ad or service targeting purposes.Misuse of personal data
More than 80% of dating apps reserve the right to transfer or sell users ' personal information to advertising platforms. More than half (52%) of the analyzed applications do not meet the minimum security requirements for protecting confidential information. The same number of apps (52%) have experienced data leaks, hacks, or other incidents over the past 3 years.Risks of AI integration
Half of the reviewed applications already use various solutions based on artificial intelligence. The largest online dating company, Match Group, has announced plans to "capitalize on advances in AI" by hiring an entire team to work on AI projects. Companies promise "all the necessary security and privacy guarantees," but their past experience does not inspire confidence.For example, in 2022, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was forced to send a request to clarify the circumstances of the Match Group transaction to transfer photos from OkCupid for training facial recognition systems without user consent.
The integration of modern AI technologies represents a whole new class of privacy threats that even current standards are poorly able to deal with.
Other disturbing facts about dating apps:
- The Lovoo app does not have an English-language privacy policy at all, despite being distributed in English-speaking countries.
- About half of the largest services are owned by two companies - Match Group and Spark Networks, which makes it possible to exchange personal data between their applications.
- In February, Match Group and eHarmony were accused in lawsuits of misleading users and using hidden monetization mechanisms.
- The number of romantic scams using fake profiles in all applications is steadily growing, according to law enforcement officials.
