Tinder violates user privacy says Dutch consumer group

Dating app Tinder violates the privacy of its users. The app stores all kinds of personal information from a user's Facebook account and shares it with third parties. Its privacy terms are also far too vague and broadly worded, according to consumers' organization Consumentenbond.

Those who download the Tinder app have to link it to their Facebook account, according to the organization. Tinder then takes the user's email address, profile name, friend list, date of birth, gender, employment, sexual preference, videos and likes and stores it. Tinder also holds the right to share this information with third parties, such as advertisers.

"In Tinder's general terms users actually give Tinder permission to forever do whatever they want with information such as chats, photos and videos. This is even worse because children from 13 years can use Tinder", said Bart Combee, director of Consumentenbond. "In addition, Tinder can change its privacy terms without informing its users about it."

The consumers' organization informed the Authority for Personal Data about their findings, which is based on an investigation done by Norwegian consumers' organization Fobrukerradet. The authority will decide how to proceed.