From robot companions to AI choosing the perfect partner, technology has become permanently entwined with dating and finding love, especially after a year and a half of lockdown that made digital connections the only type possible.
To understand the security implications of this trend, Kaspersky researchers conducted an in-depth study of nine popular dating apps to assess how safe they were. What they found was that, when compared to their previous research in , dating apps have become safer from a technical standpoint, particularly when it comes to the transfer of data.
However, these apps still pose a significant risk when it comes to exposing too much personal information about users β leaving the former vulnerable to threats like cyberstalking and doxing. Meeting the love of your life at a party seems like a thing of the past with online dating experiencing a major boom β not in the least thanks to the pandemic. What they found was that, when compared to , while dating apps have become safer from a technical standpoint, major privacy risks remain.
In , four of the apps studied made it possible to intercept data sent from the app, and many used the unencrypted HTTP protocol. However, in , the situation has significantly improved. None of the apps studied use HTTP, and no data is sent if the protocol is not secure. That said, significant privacy concerns persist with dating apps.
Most dating apps allow users to register their account with one of their social networking sites Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, etc. If the user chooses to do this, then their profile is automatically populated with information from that social networking site, such as photos and profile information. Users are also invited to share information such as their place of work or university. In addition, apps like Happn, Her, Bumble, and Tinder make it obligatory for users to share their location.
