Dating Apps Fail to Protect Personal Information: Mozilla Foundation Report Raises Concerns about Privacy Practices

A report from the Mozilla Foundation raises concerns about the privacy practices of most dating apps, which often share or sell personal information for advertising purposes. While these apps claim to help users find love by sharing personal data, researchers found that they fail to protect this information adequately. Only three out of 25 dating apps analyzed received approval for data protection and privacy: Lex, eHarmony, and Happn. The rest, including popular apps like Badoo, Tinder, OkCupid, and Match, were rated poorly for their privacy practices.

Some dating apps require users to answer detailed questions and provide personal information beyond basic profile details. This may include information about religion, race, ethnicity, political opinions, sexuality, and even biometric data. The privacy policies of these apps can be misleading, with some apps like Tinder requiring geolocation even though it’s presented as optional.

The Mozilla Foundation raises concerns about data sharing, data breaches, and subscription practices among dating apps. Grindr had a data breach that exposed user information while Match Group was accused of sharing sensitive data with third parties. Additionally, the integration of AI in some apps raises privacy concerns such as facial recognition training without consent in OkCupid.

To protect their privacy on dating apps