Milestones

Facebook has been forced to delay the launch of its signature dating service in Europe after failing to provide the European Union data regulator with a required assessment of privacy risks to users. 

According to CNet, The Irish Data Protection Commission raised concerns about Facebook’s privacy practices, and whether the company complied with the European Union’s data protection rules, which are more stringent than those in the U.S. 

Under these new rules, companies considered to be “high risk” in the handling of personal information of users are required to conduct a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) prior to being approved. This includes a written report addressing and outlining potential privacy risks, which the agency said Facebook did not provide, even after the agency sent regulators to Facebook’s Dublin office to gather the required documentation, according to Tech Crunch. 

UK-based dating app Butterfly, catering specifically to transgendered daters, has just launched in India, according to Quartz.

India is becoming a hot market for the dating app industry and is a big focus for Match Group and Bumble, who have launched high-profile campaigns to promote their dating apps in the country, including investing in celebrity partnerships and hiring regional managers. 

However, transgendered daters are finding it hard to find love on dating apps, especially in India, even as they take off.

Match Groups CEO Mandy Ginsberg

Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg has announced she will step down from her role at the company for health and personal reasons.

The news comes as Match Group is in process of separating from its parent company IAC, which is expected to close in Q2 of this year. Shar Dubey, Match Group’s president, will take over for Ginsberg starting March 1st.

According to The New York Post, Ginsberg told Match Group employees the news in an email, citing personal and health reasons for her departure. She described a “personally trying” period according to reports. These included a recent surgery correcting a previous double mastectomy to prevent breast cancer as she was diagnosed with the BRCA1 gene, as well as a tornado slamming into her Dallas home, rendering it unlivable. Ginsberg is stepping back to take care of her health and her family.

Tinder is rolling in cash at the close of 2019 thanks to consumer spending on its popular dating app. According to Annie’s List, it ranks as the number one non-gaming app where consumers are spending money, ahead of entertainment and social network giants like Netflix, YouTube and Tencent.

Video games are by far the most popular apps for consumers and generate the most revenue from in-app spending. However, outside of the gaming world, Tinder subscriptions have driven it to the top spot in consumer app spending.

Months after going public with its intention to spin off Match Group, IAC has entered into a definitive agreement providing for the full separation of Match Group from IAC’s remaining businesses. The transaction will result in IAC and Match Group (which includes dating sites like Match, Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge) becoming two independent public companies.

"We've long said IAC is the 'anti-conglomerate' – we're not empire builders. We've always separated out our businesses as they've grown in scale and maturity and soon Match Group, as the seventh spin-off, will join an impressive group of IAC progeny collectively worth $58 billion today," said Barry Diller, Chairman and Senior Executive of IAC.

Image: Business Wire

Spark Networks announced that Eric Eichmann will take over as CEO of Spark Networks, replacing Jeronimo Folgueira.

“I could not be more excited to join Spark at this time,” Eichmann said in a statement, published in Yahoo! Finance News. “Spark has a tremendous brand portfolio to help people find love across the globe…I look forward to working with the great team at Spark and leading the next chapter of its development.”