WALL STREET JOURNAL - May 2 - Facebook plans to launch a dating feature, in an unexpected push into a new business even as it battles questions about how it handles users' data and privacy. Facebook's dating feature will be targeted at ~200M users who identify as single. The feature will require users to opt in. Zuckerberg didn't say whether the service would be free but Facebook doesn't offer any paid products currently. "We're surprised at the timing given the amount of personal and sensitive data that comes with this territory," Match Group CEO Mandy Ginsberg said. Facebook's new dating feature will be for fostering "real, long-term relationships - not just hookups," Zuckerberg said. Those using the dating service could browse coming events, such as concerts, and see if others using the feature plan to attend. The messaging system for the dating profiles will be independent of FB's Messenger. Users' dating profiles will be distinct from their FB profiles and what people do within the dating feature won't be shared with friends or through the news feed. Part of the challenge for startups building online-dating apps is attracting enough users, said Mark Brooks, an analyst and consultant in the dating industry. FB's vast number of users could make it daunting for future dating startups to convince investors to fund their ideas. "I think it could be game over for the dating industry as we know it," Mr. Brooks said.
by Deepa Seetharaman & Georgia Wells
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