Contributed by: kellyseal on Friday, May 12 2023 @ 08:44 am
Last modified on Friday, May 12 2023 @ 10:41 am
Match Group has announced it will shut down operations for its apps in Russia by the end of June, including Tinder.
According to Reuters, the move is due to the ongoing human rights violations happening in Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in early 2022.
"We are committed to protecting human rights," Match said in an annual impact report published on Monday. "Our brands are taking steps to restrict access to their services in Russia and will complete their withdrawal from the Russian market by June 30, 2023."
European police agency Europol has said that dating apps were among online platforms being “hijacked” by nefarious actors for human trafficking, who were capitalizing on the unstable environment in the country. This announcement also drew attention to human rights violations happening among Ukrainian refugees, according to Reuters[*1] .
In addition, the ICC recently issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, specifically for deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine.
This ongoing problem contributed to Match Group’s decision to leave.
"It's not a good look for a trusted brand to be continuing operations in a nation where the head of state has been indicted by the International Criminal Court," said Jeff Perkins, executive director at Friends Fiduciary, a Match Group shareholder.
Match Group, which employs over 2700 staff worldwide, has said that the war in Ukraine has impacted its business in Europe since 2022, according to BBC.
Match Group’s exit from Russia comes months after many other high-profile companies have ceased doing business with the country, including Netflix, Apple and Match Group’s rival Bumble, who left last year. McDonald’s halted operations and has now stated it will sell its remaining restaurants in the country in May, according to BBC.
Match Group’s Tinder was the most popular dating app in Russia in 2022, which might have contributed to the delay. In fact, many Ukrainians were using the app not for dating, but to bypass state media and reach out directly to people in Russia with videos, hoping to engage them in conversation and counter the propaganda. Some even included photos of the war in their profiles, according to Yahoo! News.
Critics have spoken against Match Group’s timing, saying that the company should have acted sooner. Mark Dixon, founder of the Moral Rating Agency which monitors the actions of companies still doing business in Russia, said of Match Group: "What has changed in the last year that made it wake up now? Putin has been relentlessly attacking Ukraine since he invaded the country.”
He continued: "Tinder is fast for dating action but slow on moral action. It should just switch it off tomorrow."