Warning: *privacy not included with this product
OKCupid
Review date: 03/15/2021
Way back in 2007, OKCupid was one of Time's top 10 dating apps. Launched in 2004, OKCupid has over 50 million users around the world. To sign up, you fill out a personality test and give your personal information. Based on that personality quiz, OKCupid's algorithm shows you a measurement of compatibility with potential matches. It's basically a percentage score that represents how likely OKCupid's algorithm thinks you are to click with someone. With no real transparency into their algorithm, who knows how accurate their compatibility measurement is. Good news though, you can also pay extra to have your profile shown to more users just in case. As their slogan says, "Dating deserves better."
What could happen if something goes wrong
OKCupid joined the likes of Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, and Coffee Meets Bagel in that crowded gang in 2020 when researchers found a number of security flaws in OKCupid that could let attackers steal users' personal information, view their private messages, and hijack a user's account and pretend to be them. OKCupid has also been called out in a recent Norwegian Consumer Council study that found OKCupid may be sharing users' personal information like location, sexual preferences, and behavioral data with third parties and other Match Group brands in ways that may violate privacy laws. Finally, Match Group owns OKCupid and at least 45 other dating sites like Hinge, Tinder, and Plenty of Fish. When you sign up with one of these dating sites, the Match Group privacy policy states they may share your personal information with any of the other Match Groups sites for what they say are non-commercial limited and critical purposes. That's a lot of personal data you might have thought only going to once place getting shared across multiple dating sites. Without a lot of transparency into the algorithm, one concern when apps collect this information is it's hard to know how you might be matched and whether the apps have any potential bias. Security flaws, poor privacy practices, sharing data with who knows who, lack of transparency in their algorithms -- OKCupid maybe isn't the worst dating app for protecting users' privacy we've seen (looking at you Grindr), but it’s not great.
Privacy
Can it snoop on me?
Camera
Device: N/A
App: No
Microphone
Device: N/A
App: No
Tracks Location
Device: N/A
App: Yes
What is required to sign up?
Yes
Phone
Yes
Third party account
No
What data does it collect?
Personal
First name (required), date of birth (required), gender (required), country (required), zipcode/city (required), what connections users are looking for (required), gender preference (required), photos or videos (minimum one), description (required), 15-question survey (required), language (optional), ethnicity (optional), pronouns (optional), religion (optional), sign (optional), politics (optional), employment (optional), education (optional), occupation (optional), diet (optional), smoking (optional), drinking (optional), marijuana (optional), offspring (optional), pets (optional), financial information (optional). Collects data on ethnicity and allows users to filter for it.
Biometric
Height (optional)
Social
If a user connects their social media accounts to their dating profile, OKCupid collects data from that social media account, such as Facebook. However, OKCupid does not specify what data it collects and how it uses it.
How does it use this data?
How can you control your data?
What is the company’s known track record for protecting users’ data?
In July 2020 security researcher found vulnerabilities that exposes sensitive data of users. In addition, OKCupid allegedly shares personal user data with advertising companies that may violate privacy laws.
Can this product be used offline?
User friendly privacy information?
Pretty technical even though they claim to make it accessible.
Links to privacy information
Security
Does this product meet our Minimum Security Standards?
Encryption
We were unable to determine if they use encryption to protect users' personal information, chats, photos, and more.
Strong password
A strong password is required
Security updates
Manages vulnerabilities
OkCupid takes part in a bug bounty program. The dating app encourages security researchers to disclose any potential vulnerabilities uncovered to [email protected] https://www.okcupid.com/security
Privacy policy
Same as Tinder and Hinge, OkCupid's Privacy Policy states that "As with all technology companies, although we take steps to secure your information, we do not promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information will always remain secure”).
Artificial Intelligence
Does the product use AI?
Does the AI use your personal data to make decisions about you?
Does the company allow users to see how the AI works?
"OkCupid uses AI for recommendation and moderation purposes. From Harvard Business School: "With a reputation for being a highly data-driven company, OkCupid has relied on its machine learning algorithms to connect people. A higher match percentage means that a couple will have a higher likelihood of clicking, with different weights given to different questions. But beyond simply producing matches, OkCupid also incorporates machine learning as a community improvement tool. Its support & moderation team monitors machine learning alerts that detect harmful or abusive language. With the aid of technology, OkCupid can respond quickly to instances of harassment while bringing in human moderators on an as-needed basis"
