Data for Dates — What Are We Risking to Find Love Online?
In a digital world where we can procure almost anything with minimal effort, it’s no surprise that humans have transformed the most basic instinct of finding a mate into an online experience. Through the use of applications like Tinder and Bumble and other dating websites, we have entered an era of digital dating that gives us access to thousands of potential opportunities to meet “the one” without leaving the house. This can only be a positive thing, right? In an article written by Jenna Birch she champions the millennial generation’s obsession with online dating and its ability to change our society by expanding our social networks to include individuals that we may not have had the chance to meet before. Birch’s opinion is valid in the sense that the internet should be a environment of connectivity and benefit us by increasing our engagement with one another. Contrary to this, there have been criticisms of digital dating as being impersonal and providing too much choice, meaning real connections are harder to make.
Yet, despite the aforementioned perks and pitfalls of dating digitally, it is the less obvious dangers of online dating that we should also be worried about. In a session earlier this semester we discussed the laws, ethics and regulations of being online and how data harvesting and leaking can have detrimental effects on our society and the individual. Information we give to dating apps and websites like our names, ages, workplaces, schools and even desires can be kept by these platforms which are vulnerable to hacking. What are the real implications of sharing our data with online dating platforms and can the sharing of this online data be used against us in reality?
“Consumers’ data is being traded and transacted for the purpose of advertising.”
Judith Duportail explains her personal story of discovering just how much data she had allowed Tinder to collect from her throughout the years of her using the app. After contacting Tinder and demanding to see her data, she was shocked to discover over 800 pages of information detailing her amount of matches, conversations she had taken part in and when these matches had taken place. Not only had this data been difficult for Judith to track down but had also evoked feelings of guilt and shock from the writer at just how much information she had willingly disclosed to Tinder.
This information ranged from trivial things like where she liked to eat to more important information like her job and location. Why does Tinder need this information? The app’s privacy policy clearly states that your data may be used for “targeted advertising”.
Duportail is not alone in her criticism of data harvesting by dating platforms. An article by Sisi Cao reveals how other mainstream sites like Match.com use 150 ad trackers on their websites and most others employ around 20–50.
These arguments are useful in the way of identifying how much data is collected from us, however do not state who the responsibility of this data lies with. Surely if we are the ones choosing to download and use these apps, we should be the ones responsible for the information we share with them? Tinder and Match.com state clearly in their privacy policies that data from users may be collected and shared for the use of targeted advertisements. In order to gain the enjoyment and potential benefits of using these websites, is it worth giving away our autonomy where advertisements are concerned? When do these risks of sharing data become more serious?
When Data Becomes Dangerous
Whilst digital dating is not innately bad, when it is met with illegal or unethical practices the effects can be disturbing. Following the the colossal leak of identities of users from the affair-based dating website Ashley Madison in 2015, we were given a reality check of what can happen when our data is compromised. This attack blurred the lines between the ethics and the laws of the internet, as even though this leak of information was illegal, many supported the hack on the moral grounds that it denounced adultery.
However, what was supposed to be a discreet bit of fun on the side turned out to have permanent detrimental effects on some of its users. Tom Lamont, reporting on the fallout from the hack described a number of suicides and divorces, showing how sometimes the virtual world can affect the real world. This writer’s opinion support the fact that dating apps are can be dangerous, due to the nature of information shared on them.
In the same year, the dating app Grindr was investigated by researchers from security firm Synack. The firm found that Grindr’s location services made it incredibly easy to track another user on the app to a precise location. This put gay men at risk of harassment and violence in its countries of use where homosexuality is illegal. In this case we can see that online dating apps can be used unethically even without being hacked, so we cannot always blame the hackers for making them unsafe.
These cases arguably highlight the real and present danger which exists as a result of the virtual dating world and the fundamental flaws to the protection of its users’ personal information.
What’s Next?
As virtual dating is a relatively new concept, there are inevitably going to be problems with effectively protecting individual privacy. Recent cases of corporate exploitation of data like the Cambridge Analytica case have made internet users aware of the importance of data. A new law named the General Data Protection Regulation, which is to be implemented in Europe on the 25th May 2018, will protect the individual and force corporations to be more transparent regarding their collection and usage of data.
Cases like these are important in understanding how the internet is constantly evolving and how we as a society must learn how to use this platform in an ethical manner. Despite the aforementioned dangers of data sharing, these dangers can help us to create laws and regulations to make the internet safer. With statements like “the world is already accepting that privacy is not a human right” from Ramon Fonesca concerning the Panama Papers scandal, it is comforting to know that something is being done to protect our online data.
Being a Citizen of the Digital Society
Before embarking on this course I always thought of myself as having one identity, the one I show to the real world every day. Nonetheless throughout the semester I have become more aware of the digital footprint each of us leaves online every time we log on. This has definitely made me more wary of what I post as I want to be proud of how people perceive me online.
Following on from the topic of engagement I have also realised that I am not just using the internet, the internet is able to gain something from me as well by studying what I search, watch or listen to and use this to tailor unique adverts to me. This opened my eyes as I had always been sceptical of the internet’s power to collect data on me and before studying this course, I hadn’t really cared if it could or not.
What I found challenging throughout the course was the fact that we were constantly asked to analyse ideas in the context of a digital society. As someone who studies French and business I was not used to thinking about how technology has changed our society and whether these changes had benefited us or set us back.The ethical side of the internet was also something that I found challenging as I had only ever viewed technology in a positive light. The thought of faster and better innovations and how they would impact my life had been the capacity in which I viewed a digital society, however after exploring smart cities I realised that new developments could sometimes mean the loss of jobs for humans.
Another challenge that I faced was the fact that I had to question my own use of the internet, making me realise that perhaps I do rely too heavily on social media and that sometimes I can admit that I have taken it too seriously. Following a discussion in class where some students admitted that they had taken breaks from social media and ended up feeling a lot better for it has caused me to reduce the time I allow myself on certain apps and question how they make me feel.
Personally, I think the most important concept I have learnt from this course is that of copyright. I had never thought that I had to attribute pictures and ideas when sharing content online as I viewed the internet as a free market for everyone. I believe this will help me in future employment as technology is such a big part of most jobs now and being able to properly attribute is a valuable skill.
A skill that I can say I have learnt from Digital Society is how to write for an online audience. As someone who gets all their news and information from the internet, I now feel as though I am a part of this online community and would feel confident in sharing my ideas and thoughts on other platforms like Medium.
