Lovoo

Warning: *Privacy Not Included with this product

Lovoo

Review date: March 15, 2024

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Mozilla says

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People voted: Very creepy

Lovoo, the app with a heart, was one of Germany's first apps back in 2011. Today, it's popular in Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, and Italy too. The app lets users choose from a bunch of different ways to connect once you set up a profile. The app does have your run-of-the-mill swiping, of course. But there's also match recommendations called CherryPicks, an explore page that shows users near you, and something you don't see every day: live speed dating! Lovoo is free to join but offers lots of benefits to premium users, like an ad-free experience, incognito mode, unlimited swipes, and more. If you want to date, flirt, make new friends, or fall in love, Lovoo says they're here to guide you. Is Lovoo guidance just what you need? Who knows! It's hard to argue with a reported 35 million matches per month.

What could happen if something goes wrong?

It turns out, the app with a heart, Lovoo, is also the app without a privacy policy. Yikes! We did find one in German. And that's cool for people who understand German, but the app is available for download in areas where most of the population doesn't -- like the United States, Canada, and the UK. Also, their website and Google Play and App Store content is available in English, so it's more than a little worrisome that the privacy policy didn't make the cut. No privacy policy? No privacy promises! So we're worried Lovoo could come with *Privacy Not Included.

It's very bad when an app that can collect a whole bunch of detailed personal information about its users (like most dating apps do) makes no effort to let them know how that information will be handled. The fact that it's missing is a red flag all on its own but it leaves us without answers to even basic privacy questions. Like what information does the app collect in the first place? Ugh. We're also curious to check in on whether Lovoo has made any changes to address claims of deceptive behavior and safety concerns about location-tracking, from way back in 2016 and 2019.

All in all, we're speechless when it comes to Lovoo and what could go wrong. What we can say is that you should stay far, far away from a dating app that doesn't take the time to put the privacy policy in the same language they allow you to download the app. Oh and while you're here, you should beware of romance scams if you're looking for love online. They're a risk not just with Lovoo, but all dating apps.

Tips to protect yourself

  • Visit the app's privacy preferences at the app and opt out from personalized advertising as well as all non-essential data collection.
  • Request your data be deleted once you stop using the app. Simply deleting an app from your device usually does not erase your personal data nor does close your account.
  • Do not give consent to constant geolocation tracking by the app. Better provide geolocation 'only when using the app'.
  • Do not share sensitive data through the app.
  • Do not give access to your photos and video or camera.
  • Do not log in using third-party accounts.
  • Do not connect to any third party via the app, or at least make sure that a third party employs decent privacy practices.
  • Do not give consent for sharing of personal data for marketing and advertisement.
  • Choose a strong password! You may use a password control tool like 1Password, KeePass etc.
  • Do not use social media plug-ins.
  • Use your device privacy controls to limit access to your personal information via app (do not give access to your camera, microphone, images, location unless necessary).
  • mobile

Can it snoop on me? information

Camera

Device: N/A

App: Yes

Microphone

Device: N/A

App: Yes

Tracks location

Device: N/A

App: Yes

What can be used to sign up?

Google, Apple, Facebook, Snapchat sign-up available

What data does the company collect?

How does the company use this data?

We found no English-language privacy policy. However, the app is available in the English speaking countries like the US, Canada, and UK.

How can you control your data?

We found no English-language privacy policy. However, the app is available in the English speaking countries like the US, Canada, and UK.

What is the company’s known track record of protecting users’ data?

Average

No known data breaches discovered in the last three years.

Child Privacy Information

We found no English-language privacy policy. However, the app is available in the English speaking countries like the US, Canada, and UK.

Can this product be used offline?

No

User-friendly privacy information?

No

We found no English-language privacy policy. However, the app is available in the English speaking countries like the US, Canada, and UK.

Links to privacy information

Does this product meet our Minimum Security Standards? information

No

Encryption

Yes

Lovoo employs TLS encryption in transit, as well as encryption at rest.

Strong password

Yes

Security updates

Yes

Manages vulnerabilities

Yes

"We appreciate your work by paying a generous bug bounty (private LOVOO bug bounty) for all reports that follow our rules and thank you for making LOVOO safer!"

Privacy policy

No

We found no English-language privacy policy. However, the app is available in the English speaking countries like the US, Canada, and UK.

Does the product use AI? information

Yes

Lovoo uses Machine Learning algorithms to fights spam.

Is this AI untrustworthy?

Can’t Determine

What kind of decisions does the AI make about you or for you?

"Our team devises an intelligent, continuously improving Anti-Spam program. The program automatically and semi-automatically recognizes spam, scam and fake profiles and fights them. We use machine learning for this purpose.

Achievements: Aggressive spam profiles are normally identified and taken out of the picture within a few seconds."

Is the company transparent about how the AI works?

Yes

Does the user have control over the AI features?

No

*Privacy Not Included

Dive Deeper

  • [German article] Lovoo beats Tinder: These are the 8 most popular dating apps in Germany
    T3N Link opens in a new tab
  • [German article] Fraud instead of love: Police warn of new rip-offs on dating apps
    Chip Link opens in a new tab
  • Police raid premises of popular Berlin dating app
    The Local Link opens in a new tab
  • German dating app prompts safety concerns
    DW Link opens in a new tab

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