OkCupid and Match Group Accused by the Federal Trade Commission: Millions of Photos Shared by Dating App Without Consent

The Federal Trade Commission has accused OkCupid and its parent company Match Group of having shared nearly three million user photos with the artificial intelligence company Clarifai without their consent. According to the U.S. authority, sensitive data such as geographic location and demographic information were also transmitted along with the images.

These events date back to 2014, but only recently concluded with an agreement between the parties. Despite the severity of the accusations, OkCupid and Match Group will not have to pay any financial penalties. The companies neither admitted nor denied the violations but agreed to a permanent ban that prevents them from providing misleading information regarding the collection and use of personal data.

According to the FTC, OkCupid had granted Clarifai access to the data without establishing any contractual restrictions on its use. Furthermore, users were neither informed nor given the opportunity to object. This behavior contradicts what was stated in the platform's privacy policy, which promised transparency and the possibility to opt-out.

Additional Details on the OkCupid Investigation

The investigation also revealed alleged attempts to conceal the collaboration. After some news reports were published in 2019, OkCupid publicly denied any involvement with the facial recognition company, despite contrary evidence. The FTC claims that the company’s executives directly contributed to the data transfer.

Clarifai, for its part, is said to have used the images to build a database for facial recognition and develop systems capable of identifying age, gender, and ethnicity of individuals. Such technologies were also intended for government, military, and private sector clients.

The origin of the collaboration is linked to financial relationships: some OkCupid founders had invested in Clarifai, thereby facilitating access to the data. However, there was no formal commercial agreement, nor compensations or services exchanged for the shared information. With the agreement, the FTC now imposes greater transparency on the companies.