Dating apps are collecting more information about you than you think

For those looking for a long-lasting relationship on a dating app, there's nothing like matching with someone who wants to get to know the real you.

That kind of curiosity can indicate a strong interest, or at least some kind of social grace. But it's not just these potential partners that are intriguing. The app you used to meet your partner may want your personal information as well.

So say researchers from the Mozilla Foundations Privacy Not Included project. The project updated its reviews of the 25 most popular dating apps based on user privacy practices, track record of data breaches, and more. result? Of these apps, 22 received the team's “privacy not included” warning label, including popular options like Tinder, Grindr, OkCupid, Hinge, and Bumble.

Zo McDonald, a researcher involved in the project, said these labels meant staying away, but acknowledged that was easier said than done.

Among other things, Mozillas researchers found that 80% of the apps they studied could share or sell personal information for advertising purposes. That's nothing new for these kinds of companies, but it feels especially egregious since they're so eager to pay for extra features anyway.

Meanwhile, the professional dating services Jdate, Christian Mingle, and EliteSingles are all owned by a company called Spark Networks, and their privacy policies state that they collect sensitive information such as political affiliation, union membership, and sexual preferences and experience. We specifically state that this is possible.

MacDonald said that while references to sex sometimes appear in privacy policies, this was the first time the team had seen a company refer to collecting information about specific sexual experiences.

Spark Networks did not respond to requests for comment.

The nature of these products means you're sharing a lot of personal information about yourself, and of course dating apps say they'll share that information to help you find a mate, McDonald said. But they get more information than you're willing to share and use that information for purposes that don't help you find a partner.

I'll give you one particularly strange example. If Coffee Meets Bagel users want to break the ice with a match before meeting in person, they can use the app's video chat feature. That is, if you consent to the Company collecting content and information that you make available using our video chat features.

(The company did not respond to requests for comment.)

To be fair, Coffee Meets Bagels' privacy policy only states that it may collect that information, not a definitive statement of intent. Other companies wisely include a variety of sections in their privacy policies. But McDonald said people shouldn't take too much comfort in the vagueness of the word.

Every time we see a company being allowed to do something, or could do something, or have the door left open even a little bit to do something, we We have to plan for the worst, she said.

Naturally, not all of the people behind these apps agree with the researchers' view.

A spokesperson for Match Group, which owns Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid, said it unilaterally and intentionally limits the types of data it uses for advertising purposes. In particular, we do not use sensitive data, such as sexual orientation, racial or ethnic origin, religion, or precise geolocation, for third-party advertising.

Data privacy concerns, like those raised by Mozilla, aren't the only reason some people are leaving dating apps. In addition to privacy issues, harassment and fraud abound. Cybersecurity firm Kaspersky estimates that about 40% of dating app users in North America have been scammed, and 20% have been scammed.

In some cases, people revolt.

Users of apps like Tinder, Hinge, and The League sued owner Match Group in February over a predatory business model that hid potential matches from users and pressured them to pay for premium features. Ta.

Plaintiffs argued that these apps foster addictive behavior and keep users swiping for romance that increasingly feels like a video game.

Match Group called the lawsuit ridiculous. But the backlash against dating apps extends beyond the few users who are suing. Nearly half of dating app users say their experiences have been primarily negative, according to a Pew Research Center survey. In big cities, services that bypass swiping and messaging to meet face-to-face are gaining popularity.

However, for some people, an in-person dating event may not be practical. Asking someone to stop using a dating app because of privacy concerns is the same as asking someone to stop driving a car for the same reason, McDonald said. That doesn't make sense.

Even if you can't quit dating apps completely, it's worth reading a few reviews of the apps you trust. You'll gain a more complete understanding of the type of data these companies want from you and what they'll do with it once they get it.

Smart ways to use dating apps

Still, if you feel like dating apps are the least stressful and most effective way to connect with new people, take the plunge and flirt. But McDonald's has a few things to keep in mind.

Treat your dating profile like LinkedIn. Understand that anything you share may become public information, she said. Share a little less and lock down what you share.

Use your device to protect your data. iPhone and Android devices give you options to prevent apps from knowing your exact location or accessing your entire photo library. Please make good use of these. There's also an option to tell apps not to track you as you explore the web or in other apps, which helps protect your activity.

Limit your exposure. Don't log into dating apps using your social media accounts. If you log in, you may be able to access some of the information that companies have shared there. And resist the urge to respond to prompts from dating apps that encourage you to share more (and different kinds of) information.

Tatum Hunter contributed to this report.

Sources 1/ https://Google.com/ 2/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/04/23/dating-app-privacy-data/ The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article

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