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Journalism of Courage
Dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge have completely changed the way we find new people, and sometimes, even love. A recent report, however, suggested these companies may be selling personal information of users to advertisers.
According to researchers at the Mozilla Foundation, 22 out of 25 dating apps they reviewed failed at protecting user privacy, with some even having a track record of data breaches. The report labelled popular dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge and OkCupid as ‘Privacy Not Included’, the lowest rating in the research.
While the dating apps mentioned state providing personal information is optional, it is often not the case. Certain apps like Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge seek users’ consent to access their precise geolocation, and if they do not consent to it, the app does not work. Another red flag is that these apps seem to track the user’s location even when they are not actively using the app.
The report states that around 25 per cent of these apps collect metadata like information about the pictures you click and upload, your sexual preferences, the conversations you have with others, sexual orientation, racial and ethnic origins, religion and even video chats.
The researchers also shared some tips that might come in handy to protect your privacy when using dating apps. The report suggests users treat their dating profile similarly to their LinkedIn profile, avoid logging in with social media accounts and limit the app permissions whenever possible so they cannot get more information about you.
