Online Personals Watch: News on the Online Dating Industry and Business: Recon

Gay Dating Apps Still Leaking Location Data

DENTON DAILY - Nov 27 - Some of the most popular gay dating apps, including Grindr, Romeo and Recon, have been exposing the exact location of their users, according to cyber-security researchers who were able to generate a map of users across London, revealing their precise locations. This problem and the associated risks have been known about for years but some of the biggest apps have still not fixed the issue. After the researchers shared their findings with the apps involved, Recon made changes – but Grindr and Romeo did not.

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Nov 27, 2019 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Grindr and Romeo Can Expose User Locations

FAST COMPANY - Aug 8 - Researchers from the cyber-security company Pen Test Partners found that Grindr, Recon, and Romeo apps allow users to share their general location by displaying their distance from each other. Anyone with basic computing skills could use that information to determine another user's exact location using a method known as trilateration. The researchers created a tool that faked their own location and did all the trilateration calculations automatically, in bulk, allowing them to generate maps of precise user locations for thousands of individuals at a time.

by Michael Grothaus
See full article at Fast Company

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Aug 08, 2019 | Permalink | Comments (0)

30,000 Gaydar Users Opt In To STI Notifications

PINK NEWS - Mar 1 - 31,714 Gaydar members in the UK have opted in for the Sexual Health Messaging Service in the three months since it launched on 29 Nov last year. The messages are also available on Fitlads, Recon and Manhunt. The Sexual Health Messaging Service, sometimes referred to as Partner Notification, is funded by a grant from the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Men diagnosed at a participating clinic can be given a unique code for use on the website. There, contact information for recent partners can be typed in: mobile phone numbers, email or a profile name from a participating dating website. They are then sent an automated message, alerting them to the fact that they should get themselves checked out. The messages can be anonymous, but backers say recipients are more likely to take action if the sender is identified.

by Stephen Gray
See full article at Pink News

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Mar 01, 2012 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Men Urged To Opt In For Nationwide Sexual Health Messaging Service

PINK NEWS - Nov 29 - The GMFA Sexual Health Messaging Service, which allows men to alert previous partners when they are diagnosed with an infection, is set to be rolled out to more clinics and websites with funding from the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The GMFA has worked with Gaydar, Fitlads, Recon and Manhunt. After receiving a diagnosis at a clinic, the system offers users a unique PIN code to access the online SHMS service. Once there, contact details for recent sexual partners can be typed in, from mobile phone numbers to profile names. Messages can be sent anonymously, but the GMFA says the recipient may be more likely to take action if a name is included.