A number of dating apps have been identified as lacking in privacy measures, according to a new report from global non-profit Mozilla. This latest round of research comes as part of Mozilla’s ongoing *Privacy Not Included guide for consumers.
The internet-focused Mozilla Foundation (which created the Firefox browser), manage an ongoing guide for consumers, with a *Privacy Not Included warning label given to products that consumers should think twice about engaging with.
In their latest round of analysis, 22 of the 25 (88%) dating apps Mozilla studied were given this warning label.
Mozilla highlights that dating apps often collect sensitive user data to help create compatible connections. However, they point out that some data collected seems unnecessary, such as image metadata, including the time & location that photos were taken.
Once all this data has been collected, Mozilla reports that 80% of the dating apps they analysed, may share or sell user information for advertising purposes. 52% of dating apps analysed were also found to have had a data breach, leak, or hack in the past 3 years.
As more dating apps are looking to integrate AI-powered features into their platforms, this brings with it more opportunities for data capture, the report shares. “With AI in the mix, we’re dealing with a whole ‘nother level of potential privacy problems”, it states.
In their research, dating & social app Lex was found to be leading the way when it comes to positive user privacy measures. However other apps were found lacking in areas such as, data use, data control, track record, security, and more.
Across the board, the Mozilla report shares three tips for users when it comes to privacy in online dating:
- “Treat your dating profile more like your LinkedIn profile — assume it could be seen by anyone and only post photos and details you’re OK with being public”.“Don’t log in with third party accounts and don’t link your social media accounts to your profile. That invites even more sharing of your personal information across more places that don’t always do a good job with it.”“Limit app permissions where possible from your device settings (like your location, address book, and camera roll). The less you share, the better!”
Mozilla is a non-profit with a “duty to ensure the internet remains a force for good”. The organisation looks to encourage the values of privacy, inclusion and decentralisation online.
Read the full research from Mozilla here.
Headline image courtesy of Mozilla.
