The OPW/iDate Weekly News Summary.
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:~ TOP ONLINE PERSONALS WATCH NEWS ~:
Class Action Alleging Grindr Sold User Data
THE BAY AREA REPORTER - Sep 18 - A class action complaint against Grindr for privacy violations may not be able to proceed in traditional court but may go through arbitration. User Robert Bergeron sued Grindr after allegations it shared personal user data with third parties to the highest bidder without obtaining consent of users or telling them who those entities are, the initial federal court complaint states. Data included 'chat message text, chat images, e-mail address, display name, About Me, HIV status, linked Facebook & Twitter data, and more. They're claiming $5m+, which if the case went forward as a class action lawsuit would be spread among the members of the class. A 98% stake in Grindr sold a 98% stake in March to U.S.-based San Vicente Acquisition Partners.
Blued Introduces "Community" Feature
GLOBE NEWSWIRE - Sep 16 - Blued now enables users to join groups covering diverse topics and express themselves, similar to Facebook Groups. As of Jun 30, 2020, Blued had 6.4m monthly active users worldwide, up 11.2% YOY. ~Half are outside China. Each active user spends 60 mins and 16 sessions on Blued every day.
Pay Attention to Tinder Founders Lawsuit
YAHOO FINANCE - Sep 17 - Sean Rad and other early employees filed a lawsuit in 2018 saying IAC/Match fraudulently undervalued their Tinder stock options one year prior by at least $2 billion, and IAC/Match took control of Tinder through management changes; firing Rad as Tinder CEO. Under Greg Blatt defendants are accused of manufacturing, suppressing and lying about Tinder's performance during a private valuation process. This devalued the stock options, and then Tinder was merged into Match which devalued Tinder options. Plaintiffs are pushing for a trial in H1 2021, and seek $1.3B to $3.5B plus punitive damages and interest. IAC ($10.8B mkt cap+$2.9B cash) and Match ($28.9B mkt cap+$129m cash+$3.5B debt). IAC/Match believes that the plaintiff's strategy "is and has always been clear: to smear defendants and hope to prejudice a jury against them."
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RealMe - Making dating apps safer
RealMe serves consumer safety by addressing the growing issues of fraud, scams, and abuse. The RealMe platform makes dating apps safer and more trusted through identity verification, background checks, and giving insight on reputation.Get a turnkey, no-cost solution to protect your dating app members. Contact [email protected]
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Hinge Reports Decline in Ghosting During the Pandemic
HYPEBAE - Sep 17 - Dating app Hinge reports a 27% decrease in ghosting amongst users over the course of August 2020 as compared to August 2019. Hinge users also report going on 17% more dates last month as compared to the year before.
The Meet Group: World's Largest Virtual Speed Dating Event
BUSINESSWIRE - Sep 16 - The Meet Group will host the world's largest virtual speed dating event, partnering with Plenty of Fish to each donate $10,000 for a total of $20,000 to Feeding America on Sun 20th Sep. Available to MeetMe, Skout and POF members. "The pandemic has forever changed the nature of dating, tilting it toward video," said Geoff Cook, CEO of The Meet Group. "With 1.2m broadcasters and 8.9m viewers per month, our livestreaming solutions are changing the nature of dating apps, adding an element of social entertainment while providing meaningful connection and an antidote to loneliness. We are thrilled to partner with Plenty of Fish to host the world's largest speed dating event."
In a recent survey of MeetMe daters, 76% of respondents said they feel they are better able to connect with people over video. The average participating member on The Meet Group's livestreaming platform spends 30 mins a day streaming or watching and 7.6m matches were made on NextDate since March. "As one of the first dating apps to bring livestreaming to our members, we've continued to see enthusiasm for distance dating," said POF CEO Malgosia Green.
HubPeople Using Netcore for AI Email Delivery
PR NEWSWIRE - Sep 16 - UK-based HubPeople, a dating technology platform, partnered with Netcore for lightning-fast email delivery and address delays in email delivery and spam concerns that arose with higher email volumes. HubPeople chose Netcore Pepipost. Netcore delivers billions of emails every month for the world's leading brands such as Standard Chartered, Flipkart, and Disney Hotstar.
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OkCupid to Launch 'VILF' Campaign to Encourage Voting
FOX NEWS - Sep 17 - OkCupid is encouraging its users to vote, and it's doing so with a provocative saying. The app is launching a VILF badge, which is a play on popular suggestive terms like MILF or DILF. However, in this case, OkCupid users can tack VILF badges onto their profiles to let all their potential dates know that they are voters and have a risqué sense of humor.
Match Is Launching New Feature Called Dates
MASHABLE - Sep 15 - Match will prompt users and ask if they're ready to move to the next step if a conversation looks promising. The pop-up allows them to share how they're feeling about someone without the potential awkwardness of their match not reciprocating. According to Match's recent survey, 93% of users said they'd like to know if someone on a dating app is as into them as they are. 66% have wrongfully assumed a match's interest level. Once both people are ready, the profiles move to "Dates," a dedicated section of the app. From there, they'll learn about their match's dating preferences like how they prefer to social distance, and what their ideal first date is.
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The OPW/iDate Dating Business Insider is first and the largest weekly news summary in the dating industry. Since 2004.
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