OkCupid, Match Group settle with FTC over unlawful data sharing with AI firm

Dating app OkCupid and its parent company Match Group Americas have reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, following the latter's lawsuit that claimed the company provided unauthorized access to its users' personal data, Cybernews reports.

FTC alleged that OkCupid provided AI solutions firm Clarifai unrestricted access to its users' sensitive information, such as demographic and location data, and nearly 3 million photos, without consent or giving them the choice to opt out. The agency claimed this incident stemmed from the dating app's original founders having invested in Clarifai. OkCupid and Match have not admitted liability.

FTC is seeking a 20-year legal order that would prevent Match and OkCupid from giving misleading explanation about how they gather, use, store, share, delete, or safeguard user information. If approved, the court order would also require the firms to provide a clearer disclosure of how sensitive categories of data are handled, including messages, health details, photos, videos, audio files, and location data, among others. Other Match-owned dating services, such as Hinge and Tinder, would not fall under the proposed FTC rules.