Privacy

Regulators in The Netherlands have just rejected another rules revision from Apple regarding how it will manage third-party payment platforms for dating apps in its app store.

According to Apple Insider, The Authority for Consumers and Markets said that the changes Apple made in its latest rules submission in March were improved but still insufficient. In that revision, Apple had allowed dating apps to use third-party payment systems, but developers had to choose between either the third-party payment system or Apple’s system, not both. Apple also required that the apps would have to notify users that they would be using a system that Apple didn’t control. 

What continues to be a sticking point for the tech giant as well is the commission it charges all developers who place apps in the app store. Apple said that even if dating apps use a third-party payment system, they would still charge developers a 27 percent commission to be able to operate in the app store. (Currently, Apple charges a 30 percent commission to developers and all in-app payments must go through its app store.)

A new Connecticut bill aiming to improve safety on dating apps just advanced from the judiciary committee to the Senate for a vote. If passed, it could set a precedent for the rest of the country.

The legislation would force online dating sites to verify the identity of users and provide that information if presented with a warrant, subpoena or court order, according to CT Insider. It would also establish new education and training programs to combat online abuse and designates “grooming” (befriending minors to abuse them) as a separate crime. The judiciary committee passed the bill at the end of March.

While there is large support for the bill from legislators and violence prevention advocates, there is some hesitation among lawmakers, including Republican state senator Craig Fishbein. He questioned how dating services would be able to verify someone’s identity or stop them from transferring an account to someone else. 

Tinder announced this week that it has added background checks to its features, thanks to its ongoing partnership with security company Garbo.

Starting now in the U.S., Garbo’s new online background check platform will be available to the general public and launched to Tinder members via the app’s Safety Center. The new service allows easy access to public information about a potential match’s history of violent or harmful behavior, including arrests, convictions, and sex offender registry records.  

According to the company's press release,  Tinder users can tap on a blue safety shield from anywhere in the app to be taken to the Safety Center. From there, they can tap on the Garbo article to be redirected to Garbo’s website where they can provide information about their match – typically only a first name and phone number. If Garbo needs more information, they’ll ask, which may include age.

Dating app Tinder said that it would be ending the controversial aged-based pricing structure for its premium service Tinder Plus by the end of the second quarter.

The news follows a recent UK study that found users were paying wildly different prices to access Tinder’s premium service, typically based on age, which raised questions about discriminatory pricing.

According to Buzzfeed, the Mozilla Foundation and Consumers International took up where the UK consumer watchdog Which? and Australian consumer advocacy organization Choice left off when they first pointed out the issue of price discrepancies on the app. The researchers at Mozilla and CI didn’t find statistically different prices based on race, gender or sexual orientation, but did find it among different age groups.

In February, the FBI issued an alert about the increase in online dating scams, noting that dating app users were cheated out of about $1 billion in 2021 alone. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said reports of romance-led scams increased 80 percent during the same time. 

The FBI also received more than 25,000 reports of dating app-related fraud in 2021, according to USA Today.

The Netflix documentary about the Tinder Swindler has brought attention to the intricate methods that scammers use to romance people and lure them to give money or share sensitive information like a passport or banking information. In the case of the Swindler, he used money from other victims to fund his lavish lifestyle and move on to his next target. (Hint: if someone who wants to fly you on a private jet also asks you for $25,000, you should be suspicious!) 

The infamous “Tinder Swindler” has been banned from several dating apps. Match Group, which owns several popular dating apps including Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and PlentyofFish, announced that he was no longer welcome on their platforms.

According to Match Group, Shimon Hayut (who also went by Simon Leviev) violated their terms of service, which includes impersonation and asking for money. He created fake profiles on the app using other names in order to keep his con going, according to The Washington Post.

Match Group also said that ahead of the documentary’s release, the company published new guidelines for users to better protect from scammers and exploitation on its apps.