As if finding true love wasn't hard enough, these
dating apps
are making it even more challenging by being terrible guardians of your data. Modern dating is a data privacy minefield, and dating apps like
Tinder
, Bumble and
Hinge
are leading the charge in hoarding your personal info - even your "sexual life experiences"! That’s not us saying, but a new report by
Mozilla
reveals that the majority of popular dating apps are hungry for your data and careless with your privacy.
The non-profit organisation reviewed 25 dating apps and found that a whopping 22 of them (88%) earned their dreaded "Privacy Not Included" label, meaning these apps fail spectacularly at protecting your privacy.
The dating data deluge
Remember those endless “Share more about yourself” questionnaires dating apps make you fill out? And the personality tests? Those aren't just for fun. According to Mozilla's research, dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge are collecting an outrageous amount of personal information from users - everything from your political views and HIV status to biometric data for "verified" profile pics.
"If dating apps think people are going to keep handing over their most intimate data – basically, everything but their mother's maiden name – without finding love, they're underestimating their users. Their predatory privacy practices are a dealbreaker," said Zoë MacDonald, a researcher at Mozilla.
That's just the tip of the profiling iceberg. Many apps also gather data from your device, photos, videos, and even video chat content without you realising it. Tinder says it only tracks your precise location "with your consent," but good luck using the app if you don't allow it.
So why are dating apps so thirsty for your data? The classic line is "to find you better matches, of course!" But as Mozilla researcher Misha Rykov points out, "We have no way of knowing if that's true. What we do know is that most dating apps fail spectacularly at protecting that information."
Sharing is caring (for data brokers)
Dating apps don't just collect your data; they also share or sell it to third parties for advertising purposes, and according to the report, 80% of the apps may engage in this practice. Among these are some of the most popular dating apps- Tinder, Hinge,
Match
, and whatnot. However, it is unclear whether fan favourite Bumble is part of this shady data trade, but the company's vague policy suggests it's a possibility.
Mozilla found that half of the apps they reviewed had experienced a data breach, leak, or hack in the past three years. In one particular case, location data from the popular gay dating app
Grindr
ended up in the hands of a Catholic group in the US, who used it to monitor their priests.
The researchers warn against using any dating apps from
Match Group
or Spark Networks. These two companies own most of the dating services available, and your personal data can be shared between all their platforms. This means that your intimate details could be passed around between different apps, which could be embarrassing and uncomfortable.
In Mozilla's privacy test, only Lex, an app focused on queer dating, passed along with eHarmony and Happn.
AI: the new match-maker or privacy nightmare
As if all this wasn't enough, dating apps are now jumping on the AI bandwagon, promising "innovative artificial intelligence-based features." But Mozilla says that these apps can’t handle the privacy challenges that come with integrating AI.
"With AI in the mix, we're dealing with a whole 'nother level of potential privacy problems," the report warns. And with dating giants like Match Group and Grindr already facing scrutiny over their data-sharing practices, the future looks bleak for those seeking love and privacy.
Half the apps reviewed were found using AI for "profile pic selectors" and matching algorithms.
Bigger risk than these dating apps is the AI chatbot apps that promises to be your “girlfriend.”Researchers from Mozilla Foundation found that these apps collect extensive personal data, have weak
security
controls, and could be tracking users' activity.
The online romantic future is grim
The research shows that you may be nothing more than a data harvesting field for these dating apps, getting packaged and sold to marketers. That torrid affair with Tinder might come back to haunt you. So, if you must keep swiping in this data Wild West, put yourself online carefully. Or better yet, start asking people out in real life again.
