Dating App Privacy Breach | Hinge, OkCupid, Tinder

Advocates at ClassAction.org would love to hear from you Residents of Illinois who used it Hinge, OkCupid obsession tinder and had to upload the video selfie for verification that they were the person in their photographs.

Attorneys have reason to believe the dating apps violated Illinois law Biometric Data Protection Act (BIPA) by collecting and storing users’ facial geometry – i.e. the measurements of a person’s face that can be used to identify them – without providing the necessary information and asking for appropriate consent.

According to the Data Protection Act, companies can be required to pay up to $5,000 per violation.

How can dating apps violate users’ privacy?

Match Group-owned Hinge, OkCupid and Tinder have introduced the identity verification feature, the so-called checking a photo or selfie which allows users to upload a video selfie and confirm that it is a real person who matches the person shown in their profile pictures.

Dating apps require on their websites that a user’s video selfie must first pass a “Vividity Check” to determine if the video has been digitally altered or manipulated. The video then goes through a “3D architemization” step, where facial recognition technology is used to extract the person’s facial geometry and determine whether it matches the face in their profile pictures.

Facial geometries fall under a category of personal data called biometric identifiers that are subject to the Biometric Information Privacy Act, an Illinois law passed in 2008 that aims to regulate how companies use consumers’ unique biometric data — including fingerprints, sound impressions, the iris and the retina. scans and hand and face geometry.

BIPA requires that before a company collects and stores biometric data from consumers, it must first inform them in writing that their data is being collected and stored, and specify the purpose and duration of the collection, storage and use of the data. The company must also develop and publish a retention schedule detailing when the data will be destroyed and obtain appropriate consent from consumers in the form of a written statement authorizing the collection and use of their biometric data.

Lawyers working with ClassAction.org have reason to believe that Hinge, OkCupid and Tinder may have violated users’ privacy by failing to properly comply with these disclosure and consent requirements before collecting and storing biometric data — and now they’re collecting Illinois users to take action against dating apps through potentially mass arbitration.

What is Mass Arbitration? Is this a lawsuit?

Mass arbitration is a relatively new legal technique different from a class action but still allows a group of consumers to essentially band together to take action over an alleged infringement.

According to the terms of use of dating applications, users waive their right to bring class action lawsuits and instead agrees to settle any disputes through this arbitration– a form of alternative dispute resolution that takes place outside of court, before a neutral arbitrator instead of a judge or jury. Because of this, attorneys working with ClassAction.org decided to pursue the case crowd arbitration. Here’s an explanation of the process from our blog:

…[M]ass arbitration occurs when hundreds or thousands of consumers file individual arbitration claims against the same company over the same issue. Although arbitration has traditionally been less expensive for companies than class action litigation, this is generally only true if relatively few people file arbitration claims. When hundreds or thousands do it, the rewards add up.”

The purpose of mass arbitration is to “provide large-scale relief (similar to a class action) to those who file by forcing the company to settle quickly, rather than arbitrating all claims and paying costly upfront fees. .”

How much does it cost?

It costs nothing to register, and you don’t have to pay the lawyers if they don’t win your case. Attorneys only get paid when they win money on your behalf and are paid as a percentage of the amount awarded to you.

How much could I get?

There is no guarantee that you will win, but Illinois law states that consumers may be entitled to up to $5,000 for each violation.

Register today

If you have verified your identity in more than one application, you will find links to the other forms after submitting the first form.