OkCupid gave 3M dating-app photos to facial recognition firm, FTC says (arstechnica.com)

Article summary

OkCupid and its owner Match Group have settled with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over allegations that they shared nearly 3 million user photos with a facial recognition firm without users' consent. The settlement does not require OkCupid and Match to pay a financial penalty, but they are permanently prohibited from misrepresenting how they use and share personal data. The incident occurred in 2014, and OkCupid claimed it has since strengthened its privacy practices. The FTC criticized OkCupid for not informing users about the data sharing and for not placing any restrictions on how the data could be used.

Main themes

• Data privacy
• Facial recognition
• Online dating
• FTC regulation
• User consent

What commenters say

• Many online services are considered hostile to user privacy and will compromise it for financial gain if possible.
• The market for privacy-focused apps may be limited because users are not willing to pay for privacy.
• It is difficult to trust that a 'privacy-focused' app is actually privacy-focused, and even if it is, it may not stay that way over time.
• The problem of data privacy is not just a technical issue, but also a cultural and economic one, driven by the incentives of companies to maximize profit.
• Some users believe that the only way to protect privacy is to avoid using online services or to use them in a very limited way.
• Others argue that it is possible to create alternative, privacy-focused online communities and services, but they may not be able to scale or compete with larger companies.
• The persistence of data means that even if a company is trustworthy now, it may not be in the future, and users should be cautious about sharing personal information.
• Some commenters believe that the concept of 'post-scarcity economics' may offer a way to rethink the relationship between technology, privacy, and economic incentives.