Online dating app company pressed to prove user data protection

Online dating app company Match Group, which owns dating platforms OkCupid, Tinder, Hinge, and Match.com, has been urged by Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., to provide more information regarding its user protection practices amid mounting romance scams, Cybernews reports.

Both Hassan and Blackburn, who cited previous Federal Trade Commission findings revealing scammers to account for up to 30% of Match.com sign-ups between 2013 and 2018, have criticized marketing practices that promoted communication with fraudulent accounts and pointed to reports that security measures have not been prioritized within the company.

The five-page letter they addressed to Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff listed eight specific requests covering safety investments, scam detection, algorithmic practices, and account removals.

There are also requests covering internal documents showing how Match's recommendation algorithms operate, information on resources committed to safety and trust, and statistics on the demographics of removed accounts. The company was given until October 15 to respond.

"Romance scams, in which fraudsters form relationships to induce money or gifts from victims, have become a leading form of financial fraud in the United States, with annual losses reaching at least $1.3 billion," the lawmakers wrote.