Safety

Match Group testified in front of the U.S. Senate recently, arguing that tech giants Apple and Google are allowing underage users to access its dating apps.

Underage users have been able to download dating apps with age restrictions even while signed into their Apple or Google accounts, simply by clicking “yes” on a pop-up verification notice that asks if they are 18 or older. Neither Apple nor Google cross-checks the verification with their own data, and neither has set up a process to prevent these users from accessing the apps beyond the pop-up notice. 

Match Group’s chief legal officer Jared Sine testified on April 21st, according to Bloomberg News, saying that Apple and Google are allowing people under 18 years of age to download their dating apps despite the age restrictions. According to Sine, these companies are aware of the problem and ignoring it anyway; and they refuse to share personal user data with Match Group to address it.

China-based gay dating app Blued announced that it has obtained an Internet Hospital license to offer men’s health services to its users.

BlueCity, which owns Blued, created its own online health information platform He Health in 2019 to elevate awareness of HIV and its prevention among the app’s users. The health portal will now be rebranded as He Health Internet Hospital, and in addition to providing information and consultations, the online hospital will sell HIV diagnostic kits and work with local authorities to offer testing centers around China. 

Under the new license, doctors and medical professionals will also be able to offer advice and expertise to patients directly through the dating app’s platform. Instead of turning to third party apps for this kind of service, Blued users can feel safer and more confident talking directly with doctors over the dating app about sensitive issues like erectile dysfunction, HIV testing and prevention, and access to prescription medications, according to news website Pan Daily.

Gay dating app Manhunt says that it was hacked in February of this year, and the personal data of a portion of its users was exposed. 

A hacker caused the data breach according to a statement submitted by the company to the Washington State Attorney General. Manhunt maintains that the hacker “downloaded the usernames, email addresses and passwords for a subset of our users in early February 2021,” according to The Advocate. 

Manhunt has over 6 million users, and about 7,700 of its users who reside in Washington had their data stolen according to the statement. In total, the company’s attorney says about 11 percent of Manhunt users were affected by the breach.

Governor Doug Ducey of Arizona just signed into law a bill that requires online dating companies to inform their users when they have communicated with potential scammers, according to a report from Fox 10 News.

The bill HB2396 was sponsored by Republican lawmaker Regina Cobb of Kingman, Arizona, and requires dating services to inform its members if someone they had been in contact with was banned for a suspected scam, in an effort to reduce abusive and criminal activity on dating apps. These companies were previously prohibited from doing so.

The law requires the notice to be sent my mail or email, and according to Fox News 10 in Phoenix, it also provides immunity for dating app companies to prevent them from being sued.

Image: Bumble

Dating app Bumble has released a new safety guide for online daters in India to address safety issues and the rise of cyber bullying, which are rampant on online platforms.

The guide is part of a new initiative called “Stand for Safety” according to The Hindustan Times. The move is in partnership with Safecity, which helps women across the country to identify, prevent and combat abuse on online platforms. 

Bumble conducted a survey among its users in India and found that 83 percent of women experience online harassment of some kind, and one-third of women experience it at least weekly. Almost 70 percent feel that cyberbullying has also increased since the pandemic took hold and lockdowns began. These numbers alarmed company executives, whose mission it is to improve safety for women on its platforms, so they decided to take action by publishing the guide. 

Dating app Coffee Meets Bagel has put the Covid vaccine front and center on its app, adding vaccination status to user profiles.

According to Fox News, CMB users will be able to select from one of five options to update their status: fully vaccinated, waiting on an additional dose, planning to get vaccinated, not getting vaccinated, or prefer not to say. When they choose, it will automatically be added their profile. If at any time a user wants to change their vaccination status, they can edit their response.

The coronavirus has upended dating over the past year, with many singles turning to dating apps and virtual chats to meet people and stay connected. The rollout of the vaccine has gotten singles excited to meet in person again, and vaccination status has been a popular topic of conversation. In fact, CMB noted that user bios containing the word “vaccine” or “vaccination” have increased 220 percent since October.