Dec 30, 2019

Bumble reinstates Sharon Stone's account after it was flagged as fake

Photo: Isa Foltin/Getty Images for GQ Germany

Dating app Bumble reinstated actress Sharon Stone's account Monday after suspending it for several hours because users flagged it as fake, Bloomberg reports.

Why it matters: The mixup highlights how seriously dating apps are taking fraud after facing increasing scrutiny in 2019. The Federal Trade Commission is suing Match Group, the owner of Tinder and Match.com, among others, for using fake accounts to encourage users to sign up for subscriptions.

Go deeper: Dating apps expect flurry of traffic during the winter months

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Rashaan Ayesh

Tinder to debut panic button for when users feel unsafe

Photo: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Tinder will debut a feature later this month that will allow users to hit a panic button if they feel physically unsafe on a date gone wrong, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Why it matters: Critics have previously called out Tinder for not doing more to ensure the safety of users and filtering out possibly dangerous users, especially following reports of sexual assaults after connections made via the app.

Go deeperJan 23, 2020

Orion Rummler

Dating apps, menstrual trackers accused of violating European data privacy law

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Grindr, OkCupid, Tinder, Qibla Finder and MyDays X are among 10 apps feeding user data — such as ethnicity, location, gender and age — to digital ad companies, nonprofit Norwegian Consumer Council found in a report released on Tuesday.

Why it matters: These dating, prayer guidance and menstrual cycle or fertility tracking apps collect information from some of the most intimate parts of users' lives. The council argues that sharing this data violates a European data protection law that went into effect last year.

Go deeperJan 15, 2020

Sara Fischer

How Iran's disinformation threat differs from Russia

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

America "needs to be prepared for retaliation in the hard cyber space and soft information space" after killing Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, says a top expert at the Atlantic Council.

Why it matters: Iranian influence operations to-date have been different than other state-backed disinformation campaigns, particularly from Russia.

Go deeperJan 7, 2020 - Technology