Online Dating

2018 is off to a rough start for eHarmony. Shortly after one of the company’s advertisements was banned in the UK for being “misleading” comes the news that the popular dating website has taken another hit - one that will cost them more than $2 million.

Last month, eHarmony settled a consumer protection lawsuit in California, agreeing to pay $1.28 million to four counties - Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Napa - and the city of Santa Monica.

The complaint against eHarmony alleged that the company failed to sufficiently explain its subscription fee policy, leading to unexpected charges for consumers. The complaint further alleged that eHarmony did not provide a contract explaining the service, nor did it explain the cancellation procedure as required by law. 

After purchasing a majority stake in Grindr last year, ​​​​​​a Chinese gaming company has acquired the rest of the popular dating app for gay men. The acquisition means a major payday for the company, but China experts and former intelligence officials fear it could spell privacy problems for users.

Kunlun Group purchased 60 percent of Grindr in January 2016 for $93 million. The Chinese firm has now acquired the remaining stake for $152 million, according to stock filings, which some believe puts the Chinese government in a position to demand sensitive data on the app’s users, including those who are not Chinese citizens.

Kunlun Group initially indicated that Grindr founder Joel Simkhai would stay on as CEO, but following the completion of the deal, Simkhai has left the company with no explanation for his departure.

Just in time for Valentines Day eHarmony is having a 5 day free communication weekend. It starts Thursday February 8^th and runs to the end of day on Monday February 12^th. This event is for eHarmony.com (United States) and eHarmony.ca (Canada) members.

To participate all you need to do is create a free eHarmony account. No credit card is required. Once your account is created you can then complete the second part of the signup process which is taking the personality questionnaire. The questionnaire is an important part of eHarmony's match process as this information is used by their matching algorithm to determine your most ideal matches that will give you the best chance for a long term relationship. It takes about 15 minutes to 30 minutes to complete and is multiple choice questions.

Once you are finished with the questionnaire you will then receive your first set of 4-5 matches. You can then review your matches profiles and send messages to those you wish. Everyday you will receive a new set of high quality matches from eHarmony. One thing that is not included during free communication is viewing of profile photos. To view these you must become a subscriber.

Remember the sooner you register on eHarmony the longer you will have to communicate with your matches for free. For more about this online dating service, please check out our review of eHarmony.

Alexa can play music, tell you the weather, make phone calls, create to-do lists, read the news, shop for groceries, suggest restaurants, request an Uber, order pizza, tell jokes, translate languages, book vacations, control your smart home, talk to your cats, help prepare dinner, find your lost phone, check if you’ve been hacked, and that barely scratches the surface of the 15,000+ skills now available on Amazon’s virtual assistant.

With so many consumers now relying on these voice-activated devices, dating services are wasting no time in jumping on the trend. eHarmony launched its own Alexa skill last October, while Plenty Of Fish opted to join forces with Google Home instead.

Match is the latest to get in on the game with Match First Date What Ifs, a skill designed to turn Alexa into a digital wingman.

Valentine’s Day is approaching, which means more news stories about the prospects of finding love online. Dating apps have changed the romantic landscape in recent years and offered more opportunities to meet new people, but have they really helped daters meet their ultimate goals?

On February 6^th Intelligence Squared U.S., a non-profit organization which encourages thoughtful discussion and debate, will be hosting a live debate from New York City: "Swipe Left: Dating Apps Have Killed Romance."

In a nod to the complicated state of dating today, the keynote will be delivered by Daniel Jones, longtime editor of the hugely popular New York Times’ essay column ‘Modern Love.’

Dating apps run by 21 firms in China have been shut down amid allegations of fraud affecting hundreds of thousands of customers.

According to the Modern Express newspaper, police have arrested more than 600 suspects operating across 13 provinces after it was revealed that some of their messages purporting to be from female users were in fact being automatically generated by computer programs.

The investigation began in August 2017, after one app was suspected of fraudulently charging customers to view pornographic videos that did not exist. When users complained, customer service representatives were instructed to invent excuses such as a malfunctioning mobile version or poor internet speed. Users would then be charged again each time they tried to view the imaginary content.