Online Dating

A new Connecticut bill aiming to improve safety on dating apps just advanced from the judiciary committee to the Senate for a vote. If passed, it could set a precedent for the rest of the country.

The legislation would force online dating sites to verify the identity of users and provide that information if presented with a warrant, subpoena or court order, according to CT Insider. It would also establish new education and training programs to combat online abuse and designates “grooming” (befriending minors to abuse them) as a separate crime. The judiciary committee passed the bill at the end of March.

While there is large support for the bill from legislators and violence prevention advocates, there is some hesitation among lawmakers, including Republican state senator Craig Fishbein. He questioned how dating services would be able to verify someone’s identity or stop them from transferring an account to someone else. 

Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg

Image: Match Group

Gen Z makes up more than half of all Tinder users, and they are using the app differently than their older counterparts.

According to a recent interview with Tinder CEO Renate Nyborg published in Fortune, she said that over 50 percent of users are between the ages of 18 and 25, and they are more comfortable keeping things virtual compared to millennials, who typically message each other and schedule a time to meet in person. In 2021 Tinder was 56% of Match Group's revenue which was nearly $3 billion USD.

Gen Z daters have a different approach, which Nyborg referred to as “slow dating.” She noted that Gen Z daters are much more intentional and looking for a connection: “You match with someone, you chat, you go on an Animal Crossing date, you chat some more, you exchange Spotify playlists, and then two months later, you might go on a date.”

As Russia bans more social media platforms, Ukrainians are turning to dating app Tinder to break through the country’s propaganda network.

The U.K.’s Express said that Ukrainians are using Tinder’s Passport feature to match with Russians, and then sharing images from the war over the app to counteract Putin’s propaganda campaign. Russians have been told via state TV that there is no war, and that Russia is “liberating” people in the Ukraine. Putin has banned the use of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in an effort to control the narrative.

A Slovakian media agency noted the trend in Tinder and is making it easier for Ukrainians to participate by launching its “Special Love Operation” movement that encourages people to match with Russian singles and flood them with images from the war in Ukraine, so they know what is actually happening. 

Apple has extended a new proposal to Dutch regulators, who have continued to fine the company for non-compliance with its order.

The tech giant submitted a new offer to the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) pertaining to the regulator’s order to allow dating apps to use third-party payment systems instead of forcing them to use the Apple Store, according to Tech Crunch. The ACM acknowledged receiving Apple’s proposal but shared no details publicly.

“We will now assess the substance of these proposals,” ACM said in a statement, according to Tech Crunch. “In that context, we will also sit down with various market participants. Our aim is to complete this assessment as soon as possible.”

Image: Match Group

Match Group has announced the launch of its new dating app Stir, specifically designed for single parents looking to date.

The dating conglomerate which owns popular apps like Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid is expanding its suite of apps to focus on certain demographic markets with specific needs, such as single parents. The company found in its studies that many single parents have a hard time on traditional dating apps, and often get ghosted by other members when they say they have children.

"Having kids shouldn't be a dealbreaker when dating," Dinh Thi Bui, Vice President of New Verticals at Match Group, said in the company’s press release. Match Group also noted in its announcement that there are 20 million single parents in the U.S., and that they are often underserved on mainstream dating apps. 

Bumble and Match Group’s female CEOs have spoken out against new legislation in Texas banning access to abortions and have offered to cover travel costs to help employees get care in other states, and Citigroup’s female CEO has announced her company will do the same.

Over the past several months, Republican-led states including Texas have been passing an array of new extreme anti-abortion laws, including narrowing the abortion care window down to a six-week period before a woman typically knows she’s pregnant, allowing citizens to sue those who help someone get an abortion, and even outlawing abortions for ectopic pregnancies, which are not viable and put the mother at risk. States are enacting these laws in anticipation of the Supreme Court chipping away at existing protections later this year, notably Roe v. Wade.

Match Group and Bumble have headquarters in Texas, where some of the most restrictive state legislation in regard to abortion access has taken place in recent months.