Legal

Match Group recently paid $9 million in stock awards to Tinder employees, thanks to the stellar growth of its most valuable dating app. But this good news could sour for the online dating giant if it helps former Tinder execs win their lawsuit, led by Tinder’s co-founder Sean Rad.

Rad and other former Tinder employees filed a lawsuit against Match Group last year, claiming it devalued Tinder stock options to avoid paying them billions in stock. The new hefty $9.4 million payout to current Tinder employees, based on the popular dating app’s performance over the last year, could be an indication that Match Group might have undervalued Tinder, as Rad argues in the lawsuit.

Early in May, Apple and Google removed three dating apps from their stores after the FTC declared them a danger to children. By Friday May 10th, the updated apps were available again in Google Play, but not in the Apple Store.

According to The Hill, the FTC issued a consumer advisory for dating apps, and named three apps specifically - Meet24, FastMeet, and Meet4U – because they put children at risk of exposure to potential predators. Children under 13 years of age were able to sign up for these apps and communicate with other users, including adults, a violation of a law that requires parental consent before collecting information on underage people.

Tantan, one of the highest grossing dating apps in the world in the first quarter of 2019, has been removed from Android app stores by order of governmental authorities in China due to a violation of policies. The popular dating app was often referred to as “China’s Tinder” and had been acquired by Momo in May 2018.

The details of the ban are unclear. The official statement from Tantan did not reveal the specific nature of the violations. The company merely said it would cooperate fully with authorities and promised to "conduct a comprehensive internal review of the content in the Tantan mobile app and undertake other measures necessary to stay in full compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.”

Image: Bumble

Bumble famously banned mirror selfies and introduced new photo moderation rules in 2016. The updated guidelines served to further Bumble’s mission to create a safe, friendly platform where users were encouraged to interact with the same kindness and courtesy as they do in real life. Two years later, Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd is taking that mission offline and into the Texas legal system.

A bill introduced in the Texas House of Representatives in March would making sending an unsolicited nude or sexual photograph a misdemeanor punishable with a fine up to $500. Wolfe Herd, who has been campaigning to make so-called ‘cyberflashing’ a criminal offence, has worked closely with legislators and lawmakers to set the bill in motion. If passed, the bill would take effect September 1, 2019.

Grindr has come under scrutiny in the last several weeks after Chinese company Beijing Kunlun Tech purchased a majority stake in the popular dating app in 2018. The U.S. government has demanded the new owners give up control of the company.

According to The Washington Post, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a government body charged with overseeing security threats to U.S. companies, has declared that the Grindr purchase is a threat to U.S. national security because of the risk posed to the privacy of users of the app.

Tinder Co-Founder Sean Rad is continuing his legal battle with Match Group by asking the court to dismiss the dating giant’s counter-lawsuit against him.

Rad, along with other former Tinder employees, filed a lawsuit against Tinder’s parent company last year, claiming that Match Group deliberately devalued their stock options to avoid paying billions of dollars in equity. Part of the evidence he cites is his email correspondence, which has become a sticky point for him and the lawsuit.