The FTC has fined OkCupid and parent company Match Group for sharing user data without proper consent. If you've ever used a dating app, you should care about this. Because dating apps know things about you that you don't tell anyone else—and the FTC is finally asking what they're doing with that information.
Dating apps have an extraordinary amount of personal data. They know who you're attracted to, what you're insecure about, where you go, when you're lonely. They know if you're looking for something casual or serious, if you're religious, if you have kids. They know your photos, your messages, your rejections. That's powerful information, and it should be treated with extraordinary care.
According to the FTC, Match Group wasn't doing that. They were sharing user data with third parties without obtaining proper consent—exactly the kind of practice that regulators are finally cracking down on after years of light-touch oversight.
The fine itself is important less for the dollar amount than for the precedent. The dating app industry has operated with minimal regulatory scrutiny, even as it's collected some of the most intimate data in the tech ecosystem. This case signals that's changing. Companies that profit from matchmaking need to be transparent about what they're doing with user information.
What's particularly frustrating is that this is entirely avoidable. Getting user consent isn't technically difficult—it just requires actually asking instead of burying data sharing in page 47 of the terms of service. Match Group chose not to do that, presumably because they knew users would say no if asked directly.
For users, the lesson is clear: if you're using a dating app, assume your data is being shared unless proven otherwise. Read the privacy policy. Check what you've consented to. And if a company can't clearly explain what they're doing with your information, maybe use a different service. The technology is impressive. The question is whether anyone needs it to come with invisible data sharing they didn't agree to.
