Dating apps face US inquiry over underage use, sex offenders

Source: AP

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A House subcommittee is investigating popular dating services such as Tinder and Bumble for allegedly allowing minors and sex offenders to use their services.

Bumble, Grindr, The Meet Group and the Match Group, which owns such popular services as Tinder, Match.com and OkCupid, are the current targets of the investigation by the U.S. House Oversight and Reform subcommittee on economic and consumer policy.

In separate letters Thursday to the companies, the subcommittee is seeking information on users’ ages, procedures for verifying ages, and any complaints about assaults, rape or the use of the services by minors. It is also asking for the services’ privacy policies and details on what users see when they review and agree to the policies. It also seeks information on what data is collected on people, including sexual orientation, drug use and political views.

Although the minimum age for using internet services is typically 13 in the U.S., dating services generally require users to be at least 18 because of concerns about sexual predators.



FILE - In this July 5, 2015, file photo, a man uses the dating app Tinder in New Delhi. A House subcommittee is investigating popular dating services such as Tinder and Bumble for allegedly allowing minors and sex offenders to use their services. Bumble, the Meet Group, Grindr and the Match Group, which owns such popular services as Tinder, Match.com and OkCupid, are the current targets of the investigation by the House Oversight and Reform subcommittee on economic and consumer policy. (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/a93a6e2b02b7f979efca92ea7266e9f2