Facebook Dating Launches in Europe and U.K.
Contributed by: kellyseal on Friday, November 06 2020 @ 10:33 am
Last modified on Friday, November 06 2020 @ 11:13 am
Facebook has announced the launch of Facebook Dating in Europe and the U.K. following a nine-month delay from its original debut, which was scheduled for Valentine’s Day.
The new service is part of the larger Facebook Platform, and operates much the same as it does in the U.S. and other parts of the world, according to Tech Crunch[*1] . Users can pull photos and Stories from Instagram to populate their profiles. They can also use the Secret Crush feature to identify Facebook friends and Instagram followers that you are interested in without them knowing. If you both choose each other, then you are matched and can begin chatting – otherwise, your secret crush will never know you chose them.
One of the main new features is the addition of in-app video chats through its Messenger service called Virtual Dates. Many dating apps have rushed video chat features to market as the coronavirus impacted meeting people in person. And as Europe and other parts of the world are experiencing another wave of COVID cases, video chatting remains very popular among daters to get to know someone before taking the riskier step of a face-to-face meeting.
The main reason for the delay of the launch was the increased scrutiny the company has been under for its data privacy policies. Facebook failed to notify European authorities about the planned launch of a dating service in time, after regulators in Ireland called for the company to undergo its mandatory review process to ensure the safety of user data. The review, known as DPIA (Data Processing Impact Assessment), was required under the European Union’s GDPR protections.
Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle told Tech Crunch that because of Facebook’s delay in notifying them of its original launch date, the regulatory team did not have time for an on-site inspection and to address all the queries and concerns being put forth regarding Facebook’s practices. Since then however, they have been able to gather more information and developed a better understanding of how Facebook was processing peoples’ personal data. Regulators said they will continue to monitor Facebook through its launch.
In a press release, Facebook said: “We worked with experts in these areas to provide easy access to safety tips and build protections into Facebook Dating, including the ability to report and block anyone, as well as stopping people from sending photos, links, payments or videos in messages.”
Facebook also noted that Dating is an opt-in service, which means users will be matched according to interests and preferences, which will be used to serve personalized ads across other parts of Facebook. Notably the company says this won’t apply to religious views or what gender a user prefers to date, because under EU law, this type of personal information is considered a “special category” and requires explicit consent from the user.
Another significant change is that the Dating service doesn’t automatically update locations in their dating profiles as it does in its regular service.
Graham told Tech Crunch: “Facebook has provided details of changes that they have made to the product to take account of the issues raised by the DPC. We will continue to monitor the product as it launches across the EU this week. Much earlier engagement on such projects is imperative going forward.”