Legal

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.

Apple has complied with the rules of Dutch regulators to allow third party payment systems for dating apps instead of going through the Apple Store. However, it will be charging a 27 percent commission to allow these platforms to operate.

Tech Crunch reported that dating apps in the Netherlands are no longer required to go through the Apple Store for handling payments and billing questions, nor are they required to pay Apple 30 percent for each transaction made over a dating app. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets previously fined Apple $5 million euros per week until it complied with its order.

However, dating app developers who use a third-party payment system are now required by Apple to pay a new commission of 27 percent, just slightly below the old charge. Apple is also requiring app developers to send a report of digital sales so they can invoice. And  as Tech Crunch pointed out, dating app developers looking to expand offerings to the Netherlands will have to submit two different apps for approval – the Dutch app and non-Dutch app.

Popular gay dating app Grindr has disappeared from China’s app stores, including the Apple Store, as government officials tighten control over online behavior. 

Chinese officials said there were compliance issues with Grindr regarding China’s Personal Information Protection Law, according to Bloomberg. The law requires that data stored in applications that is transferred to other locations be approved by government officials, and it limits the amount of personal data stored in apps.

In addition, China’s Internet authority began a month-long campaign to identify and eliminate any illegal and sensitive online content, according to the Bangkok Post. This move comes at an interesting time, coinciding with the celebration of the Beijing Olympic Games and the Lunar New Year.

Apple has been fined five million euros for not complying with a recent ruling regarding dating apps leveled by the Authority for Consumers and Markets, a watchdog agency in The Netherlands.

The ACM said that Apple had not yet complied with its order to allow third-party payment options for dating apps on the Apple Store platform, which was issued in late December. The agency also said that it would continue to fine Apple five million euros per week (roughly $5.6 million US) until it properly complies with the order, up to $50 million euros in total, according to The Verge.

The issue is that while developers can now let Apple know if they are interested in using third party payment systems in their apps, Apple has not provided a straightforward way to do this, and there is very little technical support in place from Apple to help developers move forward. Another issue is that Apple is forcing developers to choose between two options: directing users to a third-party site to complete transactions outside of the Apple Store, or to stay in the Store’s ecosystem if they want to keep in-app purchases as an option for users.

An investigation by a UK consumer rights group found that dating app Tinder is charging users over 30 as much as 48 percent more for its premium service Tinder Plus.

The advocacy group Which? said its findings show that Tinder may be discriminating against older users, a “potential breach of UK law,” according to The Daily Mail. The group has reported its findings to the EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission) and the Information Commissioner’s office (ICO) and asked them to investigate. The EHRC found the findings “concerning,” according to The Daily Mail.

Which? asked a sampling of 200 people to create real profiles on the dating app and to find out the pricing for the premium services like Tinder Plus, which unlocks certain popular features like unlimited likes and the ability to “rewind” or go back to check out a profile you already swiped left on.