FTC Swipes Right On Consumer Protection, Alleging Dating App Overshared With Third Parties

Published: 2026-04-14 02:09:06 ET MTCH

Published on 04/14/2026 at 02:09 am EDT

On March 30, 2026, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a settlement with the online dating service provider Humor Rainbow, Inc., d/b/a OkCupid, and its parent, Match Group Americas (Match), alleging that the companies engaged in deceptive practices by sharing users' personal information with a third party in violation of their privacy representations.

In Depth

Allegations

According to the FTC's complaint, OkCupid and Match violated Section 5 of the FTC Act in 2014 by sharing user data, including profile photos, demographic details, and location information, with a third-party company without adequate notice or user consent. The FTC claimed that OkCupid shared the data because its founders were financially invested in the third-party company, but that OkCupid had no existing business relationship with it. This conduct allegedly was not covered by OkCupid's privacy policy, which indicated data sharing was limited to affiliates, business partners, service providers, and in response to legal obligations. The agency further alleged that users were not given an opportunity to opt out of the sharing, despite the privacy policy indicating that such an opportunity would be given.

Required remediation

OkCupid and Match Group are required to submit a compliance report to the FTC annually for 10 years, including a list of covered services and steps they have taken to comply with the order. In addition, OkCupid and Match are required to maintain records related to their services, including consumer complaints and refund requests, revenues, and all records necessary to demonstrate full compliance with each provision of the order.

Lastly, for 20 years, both OkCupid and Match are:

For the duration of the order, the FTC is authorized to obtain discovery without further leave of the court.

Takeaways

This enforcement provides several important reminders:

Companies should:

Jonathan Ende McDermott Will & Schulte 919 Third Avenue New York NY 10022 UNITED STATES Tel: 2127562000 Fax: 2125935955 E-mail: [email protected] URL: www.srz.com