Tinder knows more about your intimate life than your friends

Today, Tinder is our focus on the most popular mobile dating application (57 million users at the beginning of 2020, of which 5.9 million have a paid subscription . This application works on the basis of location data, selecting those who want to meet near the user.

Each user can put photos of other likes and dislikes using the usual “swipe” (“swipe right if you like it, and left if not” - this is how it looks in Tinder), and the ability to communicate between two people appears as only they will demonstrate mutual interest to each other. At that time (Tinder was launched in 2012), no dating application could boast of such a revolutionary format.

Tinder works under iOS, Android, and it is also possible to communicate in the application from a computer through the site. Initially, Tinder required access to a Facebook account in order to be able to use the application, but since August 2019, registration only by phone number has become available.

Of the latest pieces of Tinder, which continues to maintain its leadership in the rating of Dating apps (dating apps), we note the “panic button”. It works like this: the user enters data on the location of the meeting with his “match” (that is, those with whom the likes coincided, from the English Match - “coincidence”), and the application begins to track all its movements. If there is a threat to the user's safety, he must press the panic button, and the police, having orientated by GPS, will quickly respond to the signal (by accidental pressing, the user must enter a cancellation code).



What information does Tinder collect about users ?

In the Tinder privacy policy , the link indicates that the minimum collection of data is: name (login) and password, as well as “some basic information necessary for the service to work”, and age and gender are given as examples of such information . Other personal data is provided at the request of the user.

When connecting paid services and making payments, the bank card number and “other financial information” are indicated, which looks rather vague. In addition, the company reserves the right to “process your chatting with other users and the content that you publish”, citing the need for the normal functioning of Tinder services. In fact, this is a recognition in reading user correspondence by developers.

Tinder’s services also store information about the devices from which you access them, the connection (wired-wireless, speed, provider), and, of course, allow you to save cookies (Cookies are script fragments that remember user settings on websites), but they can be disabled if the browser supports this feature or if there is a special extension.



How Tinder uses the collected data

Everything in the same document says that the data is collected “in order to ensure your safety and provide advertisements that may interest you”. Thus, the fact of collecting user data for the purpose of its sale to third parties (ad networks) is not denied.

For this, and for the vague wording, Tinder was criticized by a number of public and governmental organizations: for example, the Norwegian Consumer Council writes that documents written in legal language sometimes do not give a complete picture of what happens to a person’s personal information . “Third parties that can access the personal data of users,” the Norwegians write, “are often not indicated (as is the case with Tinder). If third parties are listed, the consumer should read the privacy policies of these third parties to understand how they can use his data . ”

“In other words,” the authors of the study of popular applications continue, “the user can hardly even get a basic idea of ​​what his data is, to whom and how it can be transmitted and how it is used even by the application itself.” Norwegian public figures emphasized that “data collection seems to violate European Union rules designed to protect people's online data, known as the“ General Data Protection Regulation ”. Representatives of American organizations and, in particular, Public Citizen, a group of specialists under the US government that defends the rights of citizens, agree with them. This organization requires that the United States introduce as stringent laws as the above-mentioned European regulation, which was adopted in 2018.

To whom does Tinder transmit information about users and what does it threaten them

with? So, what are these “third parties” with which Tinder trades user data? Obviously, we are talking about the advertising networks of Google, Facebook and other corporations specializing in targeted advertising. Of course, the advertising business is interested in as much as possible of any possible information about users, including their intimate addictions and sexual orientation, which Tinder will gladly inform advertisers. And human rights organizations have already sounded the alarm. So, in November 2019, an article was published on the website of Amnesty International, entitled “Total surveillance of Facebook and Google poses an unprecedented danger to human rights.”

Amnesty International CEO Kumi Naidu said: “Google and Facebook dominate modern life and gain unprecedented power over the digital world by collecting and monetizing the personal data of billions of people. Their inconspicuous control over our lives undermines the very essence of confidentiality and is one of the defining problems of human rights in our time. The Internet today is vital for us, but billions of people can access this public space only on terms dictated by Facebook and Google. To protect the main human values ​​in the era of digital technology - dignity, independence, confidentiality - it is necessary to radically revise the working methods of the giants of the digital industry and move to the Internet, which is based on human rights. ”

The Google and Facebook platforms rely on algorithmic programs that process huge amounts of data to get the most detailed user characteristics based on their online experience. Advertisers then pay Facebook and Google to show advertisements that companies need. “We have already seen,” continues Kumi Naidu, “that the vast advertising systems of Google and Facebook are powerful weapons in the wrong hands. Not only can they be misused for political purposes, which can have disastrous consequences for society, they also allow all kinds of exploitative advertising strategies, such as hunting people who are struggling with illnesses, mentally unbalanced or addicted . Because such ads are intended for individuals, they are hidden from public control. ”




Tinder provides Facebook and Google services with very intimate data: do not forget that this is a dating application, which means that many users indicate in their profiles things that are not customary to tell the general public. Advertisers receive this confidential information completely free of charge, that is, for nothing, as one famous owl said.

One can imagine what puzzles of Tinder users are formed by ad networks collecting information about them and many other channels. Of course, these corporations are limited by laws on non-disclosure of personal data of users, however, the information collected still leaves them with a wide field for manipulating people's behavior even through advertising.

And more information for consideration: about a year ago, Tinder decided to sacrifice the freedom of expression of its users and joined the registry of information dissemination organizers (ARI), which is maintained by Roskomnadzor . This means that the owners of the application agreed to cooperate with Russian Internet censorship authorities and will comply with the requirements of Roskomnadzor to block inappropriate content.