Industry

Two major online safety groups have partnered to create a new industry standard for online dating in the wake of reports that dating app companies aren’t taking needed steps to protect users on their platforms.

The Cyber Rights Organization (CRO) and Online Dating and Discovery Association (ODDA) joined forces to educate industry leaders in different areas of safety including human rights, data privacy, and best business practices, according to DatingNews.com. The ODDA sets guidelines for dating app companies and alerts them to potential risks, while the CRO is a watchdog, and protects people who are using dating platforms.

“The alliance between CRO and ODDA is driven by mutual commitment to user safety in the digital dating sphere,” the ODDA said, according to DatingNews.com.

Dating app Hinge announced that it is adding a $1 million fund for in-person events and social group gatherings in New York, Los Angeles, and London.

According to CNBC, the money is to subsidize free or lower cost events to attract young people. The fund is part of their One More Hour social impact initiative which the company launched last year. Hinge says it recognizes Gen Z’s need for more tangible ways to connect than just over a dating app, and wants to create more spaces for them to get together.

The groups will focus on a range of activities that include food, nature, and reading, for example. The purpose of the groups is to highlight an interest to attract people and give them something to do while they are meeting other people, taking the pressure off.

Tinder has launched Tinder U in India, a new feature that connects college students attending the same school or other nearby universities.

According to Indian Express,Tinder U allows students with a valid school email address to opt in to the feature, which works as a dedicated space for college students to connect and search for other students with the same interests. Once a new user is verified through the app’s application process, they can populate their profiles with details like college clubs, sports, and other activities to make it easy to find matches and expand their circles – whether for friendship or dating.

Tinder U users can also add the year they graduate and their majors to spark interest with others in the same graduating year or program of study. Users can also “Superlike” someone who grabs their interest.

A vast majority of daters – 85 percent of women and 87 percent of men - want apps to verify the ages, recency of photos, and locations of potential matches.

According to a new study from TransUnion, over half of those surveyed also said that dating app profiles didn’t accurately reflect the people they met in person. Women were twice as likely to say that people lied about their age, and men were more likely to say they were a victim of a “bait and switch” according to the company’s press release. The study is entitled “The Paradox of Online Dating: Convenience vs. Connection.”

In fact, of those surveyed, more than 75 percent said they were willing to undergo background checks themselves to bring more transparency among dating app users.

Match Group's New COO: Hesam Hosseini

Match Group has appointed a new COO and new CEO, shaking up the executive team in hopes of a turnaround after several disappointing quarters.

Spencer Rascoff has taken over from Bernard Kim as CEO, and Hesam Hosseini was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, and will take the reins in April. The company also announced Gary Swidler will step down as President but will remain as an advisor through July.

Hosseini served as CEO of Evergreen & Emerging Brands for Match Group, one of the bright stars in recent months for the company. Some of its smaller, more niche apps under his direction have shown growth while the company’s star app Tinder has continued to decline.

An investigation into Match Group by nonprofit news organization The Markup and Pulitzer Center's AI Accountability Network found that the company had information about users who were reported for sexual assault, but did not ban them from its apps, publicly identify them, or report them to authorities.

This report follows the company’s ouster of CEO Bernard Kim, who was not able to turn around the company’s revenue decline over the past several quarters. He was replaced by Zillow Group Inc. co-founder Spencer Rascoff.

Now, Match Group is facing the fallout from this investigation.