Data collection in several dating apps sparks privacy concerns in users
For people in search of lasting relationships on dating apps, there’s nothing quite like matching with someone who wants to know the real you.
That kind of curiosity could signal keen interest, or at the very least, a certain social grace. But those potential partners aren’t the only curious ones in the mix: The apps you may have used to meet them might be just as hungry for your personal information.
So say researchers at the Mozilla Foundation’s Privacy Not Included project, who updated reviews of 25 of the most popular dating apps out there based on their user privacy practices, data breach track records and more.
The result? Twenty-two of those apps — including popular options like Tinder, Grindr, OkCupid, Hinge and Bumble — received the team’s “Privacy Not Included” warning label.
Those labels mean stay away, said Zoë MacDonald, a researcher who worked on the project, though she conceded that’s easier said than done.
Among other things, Mozilla’s researchers found that 80% of the apps reviewed may share or sell your personal information for advertising. That’s nothing new for these kinds of companies, but it feels especially lousy because they so ardently want you to pay for additional features anyway.
Meanwhile, Jdate, Christian Mingle and EliteSingles — specialty dating services all owned by a company called Spark Networks — specifically note in their privacy policies that they may collect “sensitive” information, including your political affiliation, union memberships and your “sexual preferences and experiences.”
References to sex pop up in privacy policies from time to time, said MacDonald, but seeing a company mention collecting information about specific sexual experiences was a new one for the team.
Spark Networks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The nature of these products means you’re going to share a lot of personal information about yourself, and of course the dating apps say that you share that information in service of finding someone,” MacDonald said.
But they “take more information than just what you’re conscious of sharing” and then use that information for purposes that aren’t going to help you find a partner.
One particularly strange example: If you’re a Coffee Meets Bagel user looking to break the ice with a match before meeting up in person, you could use the app’s video chat feature. That is, if you’re OK with the company collecting “the content and information you make available using our video chat feature.”
In fairness, Coffee Meets Bagel’s privacy policy only says it “may” collect that information — hardly a definitive statement of intent. Other companies judiciously sprinkle “mays” into their privacy policies, too. But MacDonald said you probably shouldn’t seek much comfort in the vagueness of this language.
“Whenever we see that a company is allowed to do something, or may do something, or even leave the door one crack open to do something, we have to assume the worst, ” she said.
Naturally, the people behind these apps don’t all agree with the researchers’ take.
“We unilaterally and purposefully limit the types of data we use for advertising purposes,” said a spokesperson for Match Group, which owns Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid.
“In particular, we do not use sensitive data, such as sexual orientation, racial or ethnic origins, religion, or precise geolocation data for third-party advertising.”
Data privacy concerns like the ones Mozilla raised aren’t the only reason some people are turning away from dating apps. In addition to privacy issues, harassment and scams abound.
About 40% of dating app users in North America have encountered a scam, and 20% have fallen for one, according to estimates from cybersecurity company Kaspersky.
In some cases, people revolt.
The apps encourage addictive behavior, the plaintiffs claimed, keeping users swiping in a hunt for romance that feels increasingly like a video game.