General News

Russia is advising its citizens to log off dating apps for a while after regions of the country were invaded during a surprise incursion by Ukraine.

According to a report from Politico’s European Bureau, the Russian government warned that Ukraine was using information gained from dating apps to plan its attack. Dating apps generally collect sensitive information such as location data as well as personal information like names, birthdates, ages, and more.

Popular U.S.-based apps like Tinder and Bumble had already pulled their platforms out of Russia when the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but many dating apps remain in use.

BLK, the dating app for Black singles, has partnered with Michelle Obama’s “When We All Vote” non-profit to encourage young Black singles to vote this coming November.

According to Essence magazine, BLK will launch the #ElectionSZN campaign along with When We All Vote, aimed at boosting voter participation and engagement through multiple offerings, including special features, profile badges, and surveys aimed at getting people engaged for the upcoming election.

This move is significant according to Essence, because the Black community historically has faced many barriers to voting and systemic disenfranchisement. And this year, for the first time, a Black woman will be the Presidential nominee for the Democratic ticket.

Dating app Bumble’s share value dropped 30 percent after the company slashed its annual growth revenue forecast in its second quarter earnings report.

According to Reuters, Bumble also fell below estimates for its second quarter revenue. The dating app company reported revenue of 268.6 million, below analyst expectations of $273 million.

This report worried investors who compared Bumble’s second quarter to rival Match Group’s, which reported relatively better revenue numbers driven by robust growth at Hinge and more stability at Tinder.

Dating app giant Match Group announced its plan to cut six percent of its workforce after numbers for the company’s second quarter fell short of expectations, according to BBC.

Match Group owns the popular dating app Tinder (which has seen a significant decline in downloads), along with Hinge, Plenty of Fish and OkCupid, among others. The company’s second quarter earnings report showed an 8 percent decline among the number of paying Tinder users according to multiple reports. Hinge still remains a bright spot with significant growth.

According to BBC, Match Group said job cuts would largely come from shutting down its live-streaming app Hakuna and removing live-streaming features from some of its dating apps. (Despite the popularity of livestreaming dating apps in China, it hasn’t really taken off in the rest of the world.)

Image: Crispa

Chispa, Match Group’s dating app for Latino singles, has launched a summer college tour for select cities, in partnership with Sorry Papi. The tour is aimed at building community and awareness of the app among young college students, the target demographic for the app.

Each event features music, dancing, and opportunities for people to connect on the Chispa platform, according to the company's press release. In fact, those logging onto the dating app during the tour will have a chance to win a trip for two to Puerto Rico or Baja with Sorry Papi.

"We couldn't be more thrilled to team up with Chispa," said Jaqueline Terrazas, Tour and Project Manager at Sorry Papi. "Together, we are bringing together communities in a way that celebrates our heritage and creates lasting memories."

A former Catholic priest has brought a lawsuit against Grindr for allegedly selling his personal data without his knowledge or consent. He says the public “outing” cost him his job and his reputation.

In the lawsuit, Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill claimed that Grindr failed to inform him that his data was being sold to vendors, thereby allowing people outside of the app to know he was using it and causing him “significant damage,” according to The New York Post.

This follows a class action lawsuit in the U.K. brought by 650 plaintiffs alleging that Grindr shared their data with third parties without their knowledge or consent, including sensitive data like HIV status. The lawsuit also alleges that some of the third parties might have retained some of this data for their own purposes.