TECH CRUNCH – Clarifai has now deleted 3M OkCupid photos and the AI models trained on them. This is the first clear confirmation that the data was actually used for facial recognition training. The deletion follows the FTC case against OkCupid and Match Group, which settled without admitting wrongdoing.
BENZINGA – Milian is an online matchmaking company targeting young Chinese users, preparing for a Hong Kong IPO. It reported 74% revenue growth last year, with profits tripling. The company stands out by using human matchmakers instead of AI, employing thousands of facilitators to guide conversations and support users through the dating process. This sets it apart from platforms like Tinder and Momo, which rely on algorithms.
LTR – Ophir Laizerovich, president and co-founder of LeadThink and co-founder of The Relationship Company, shares highlights from building a lead-generation business for matchmaking and online dating using Google, Bing/Yahoo, and Facebook. He describes delivering 10k to 20k leads per day primarily in the US (also Canada and Australia), discusses Google’s approval requirements for dating/matchmaking and the shift from credit card to invoice billing, and explains strategies like focusing on pain-point ad copy, starting with long-tail keywords, and improving site speed, ad relevance, and on-page content to reduce costs. On Facebook, he emphasizes non-brand pages for lead gen, heavy image testing (including selfies and audience segmentation), avoiding over-reliance on automated controls, and targeting iOS/desktop versus Android. He reviews landing-page funnel optimization, SMS verification and appointment setting for matchmaking, and using AI-generated images and tools like Midjourney, Gemini, and Reify.
[**See the video here on YouTube**]
The January LTR was kindly sponsored by HubPeople, LeadThink and Courtland Brooks
PASSIONATE IN MARKETING – Muzz has formally launched in India after years of organic growth without a local team or marketing. The platform has 17M users globally and has facilitated ~800K marriages. India has ~200M Muslims. Muslim matchmaking options have mainly been limited to either family-led matrimonial setups or general dating apps that don’t reflect religious intent. This creates an opportunity for Muzz to target users who want both personal choice and family involvement.
BBC – Tinder will let users prove they are human and not robots using advanced eye-scanning technology amid rising fears over AI. Users of Tinder, as well as platforms like Zoom, can scan their eyes to earn a “proof of humanity” badge. The scan can be done through an app or an orb-shaped device run by the World network. It scans the iris to confirm a person is human. World, formerly known as Worldcoin, is part of Tools for Humanity, co-founded and chaired by Sam Altman, who also leads ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. Once verified, users receive a unique ID stored on their smartphone, known as their World ID.
FINANCIAL TIMES – Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff says attracting female users is a “priority focus” in the push to turn around Tinder. Tinder has fallen from a peak of 65.4M monthly active users in 2021 to 50.5M last year, according to Sensor Tower. Match Group does not publish a gender breakdown of users on its apps, but Sensor Tower estimates around 75% of Tinder’s users are men. Since taking over, Rascoff has introduced a series of new features, including double dates, video calls, and shared-interest matching (such as music taste), aimed at attracting younger Gen Z users and women. He said the decline has improved from -11% annually to -8.5%, with a goal of stabilizing growth by the end of next year.
NEW YORK POST – George Arison, CEO of Grindr, has endorsed moderate San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and donated $7K to his campaign. Arison stirred controversy in 2022 when he became CEO, and past tweets resurfaced in which he described himself as conservative. Those comments have since been deleted. It’s unclear if Arison is still conservative. But he doesn’t like how California is being run, suggesting the state should have a smaller government or more services.
CAL MATTERS – A proposed California bill would require dating apps to run criminal background checks and flag users convicted of violent crimes, domestic violence, assault, hate crimes, or those on the sex offender registry. The measure follows reports of sexual violence linked to dating apps, including a survey where more than a third of women said they were assaulted by someone they met online. Critics say it could harm privacy and require extensive data collection to avoid misidentification. The bill has passed a Senate committee and may be revised before moving forward.
FAST COMPANY – Playtomic started as a simple tool to book courts and find people to play with, but it has evolved into a social platform. It matches strangers into games based on skill level, and those interactions often continue off the court. People end up building friendships and, in some cases, relationships.
