General News

As internet usage grows, so does the number of devastating data breaches that expose sensitive personal information. The online dating industry is no stranger to hacks hoping to exploit the extensive amount of personal data users share in their profiles, with services like FriendFinder Networks, Ashley Madison, Mate1 and Plenty of Fish falling victim to high profile attacks.

The latest company to join that list is Momo, one of China’s most popular dating apps. Data from 30 million users of the app is reportedly for sale on the Chinese dark web for just CNY 200 (approximately $30 USD).

In a post published on Sina Weibo on December 3, user @lxghost1989 shared a series screenshots entitled “database of 30 million Momo users” with a comment saying, “Momo’s database is quite cheap.” The data for sale includes phone numbers and passwords, and was supposedly obtained on July 17, 2015 via a method known as credential stuffing. This technique uses stolen account credentials - typically username and password pairs - to fraudulently gain access to other accounts that use the same login credentials. Individuals who use identical usernames and passwords across multiple accounts are highly vulnerable to this kind of attack.

The president of gay dating app Grindr is under fire for a Facebook post in which he appeared to express opposition to same-sex marriage. Scott Chen, who became president of Grindr in August after it was purchased by Chinese tech firm Kunlun Group, has since deleted the controversial post and defended himself against accusations of anti-LGBTQ bias.

In a public status posted in late November, Chen wrote in Chinese: “Some people think marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman. And I think so too. But that's your own business." Puzzlingly, he also criticized Christian groups fighting marriage equality and said he would boycott HTC after reports that it had backed US groups opposed to same-sex marriage. Chen’s conflicting remarks were translated to English and published by INTO, a digital magazine owned by Grindr.

Chen responded to the INTO article with criticism, calling it “unbalanced and misleading” and defending his post in the article’s comment section. “The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience,” he wrote. “I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage. This is how I feel about my marriage. Different people have their different feelings about their marriages. You can’t deny my feelings about my marriage.”

Chen also chastised the website for not reaching out to him for comment before publishing the article.

Bumble has a lot on its plate these days, including a potential IPO, expanding its service to India, and becoming a content creator as well as building a “kind social network.”

The Wall Street Journal interviewed Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd about the female-friendly dating app, which has recently styled itself as a social media platform that promotes safety and helping women build relationships.

Bumble has been in the news lately because it’s rumored to be eyeing an IPO before the end of the year, with a $1.5 billion valuation. This could mean big news for the app, which competes with behemoths Tinder and more recently Facebook. Still, Bumble has managed to grow to 40 million users, up from 12.5 million in February 2017, which is significant growth compared to its competitors.

Dating apps have taught us to be discerning and to not waste time on matches who don’t meet our requirements. After all, there are so many choices! But Gen Z is about to change things with a different attitude and approach.

Dating app Zoosk analyzed more than 5.7 million of its profiles and surveyed over 4,000 daters on the site to see where the differences between the generations lie when it comes to dating preferences. As it turns out, Generation Z (the youngest group of dating app users) tend to have a much healthier approach to dating than Millennials, Gen X and baby boomers.

According to an article in Marketwatch outlining the study, Gen Z are the least picky daters, and swipe yes to 33% of potential matches. This is 15% more than millennials and 20% more than Gen X and baby boomers. This increases the odds of meeting in person and having more dates, but younger daters are also typically less interested in more serious relationships and opt to meet more people instead.

Countless singles have professed their love for pizza on their dating profiles. But would they trust a purveyor of pizza to find their perfect romantic match? That may soon be an option for singles in the Netherlands, where Domino’s Pizza has revealed plans to launch a branded dating app.

Domino’s chief executive Don Meij announced the upcoming app, which will match customers according to their favorite toppings, at the company's general meeting in Brisbane in early November 2018.

“Simply swipe your favourite pizza and the Domino's dating app will connect you to other pizza lovers, find a match, and go on a date,” he said. “Domino's provides the meal, and even the conversation starters. What better to bond over than your shared love of pineapple on pizzas?”

Bumble has made experiential marketing a core part of its strategy to expand its user base. Last year, the company launched a series of roving pop-up spaces that debuted in New York City and has since made stops in London, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. Earlier this year, Bumble teamed up with HBO on a "Stay Home To The Movies" activation set in a New York City brownstone that aimed to recreate the experience of a romantic night in.

Bumble’s latest move to bring the dating experience offline is a partnership with Marriott International's Moxy Hotels. Certain Moxy locations will host "BumbleSpot #attheMoxy” events where Bumble users can bring their connections from the digital sphere to real life. BumbleSpots are places that have been verified by Bumble as inclusive environments in which to meet connections from Bumble’s dating, friendship and professional networking services.

“At Bumble, we’re more than just a dating app – we’re a mission-driven platform that connects people across the most important relationships in their lives in love, friendship and business. We’ve worked so hard to cultivate a safe and empowering community online and we’re always looking for opportunities to help our users bring those connections to life,” said Andee Olson, director of partnerships at Bumble. “The idea for BumbleSpot is to create a network of physical locations across the US and Canada that support our mission to end misogyny and empower women in their relationships across all aspects of life.”