FTC Says OkCupid Shared Three Million User Photos with Facial Recognition Firm
Dating app OkCupid shared nearly three million user photos with a facial recognition company without informing users, according to a settlement with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Match Group, which owns platforms including Tinder, OkCupid, and Match.com, agreed to resolve an FTC lawsuit alleging that it improperly shared millions of users’ personal data — including photos used to train facial recognition technology — without consent.
According to a report by The Verge, OkCupid and its parent company did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, but agreed not to make similar alleged misrepresentations in the future. The FTC’s complaint states that after facial recognition company Clarifai contacted one of OkCupid’s founders in 2014, the app provided access to nearly three million user photos, along with demographic and location data.
At the time, Clarifai was developing image recognition systems that rely on large datasets to train algorithms, a practice that has become widespread but has also raised concerns about consent and transparency in the AI industry.
The FTC alleged that sharing the data violated OkCupid’s own privacy policy because users were not given an option to opt out. It also claimed that OkCupid and Match later attempted to obscure their relationship with Clarifai when The New York Times inquired about the arrangement for a story.
OkCupid’s settlement does not include financial penalties and does not directly address the data allegedly shared with Clarifai. However, the companies agreed not to misrepresent how they collect or share user data and will be subject to compliance monitoring, which could lead to further action if violations occur once the order is approved by a court.
FTC Consumer Protection Bureau Director Christopher Mufarrige says in a statement that the settlement shows the U.S. agency “enforces the privacy promises that companies make.”
But an OkCupid spokesperson says the practices described are outdated. “This does not reflect how OkCupid operates today,” the company says in a statement to Reuters, adding that its privacy protections have since been strengthened.
Separately, Tinder recently announced it is testing a feature that uses AI to scan users’ camera rolls to select photos and suggest aspects of their personality. The feature has prompted criticism over the potential use of sensitive images for data collection or advertising. However, Tinder says participation is optional, users can control which photos are shared, and some analysis takes place on users’ devices without permanently storing biometric data.
Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.
