Hayley Birkin

A threat actor claims to be selling data from 51 million Badoo accounts. The claim is unverified, and Badoo has not confirmed or denied a breach.

Ofcom's first Online Safety Act age check review rejects age inference and finds credit card checks cannot tell 17 from 18, a gap for dating apps.

The EU plans an age verification app and a possible under-15 or under-16 social media ban, which could raise compliance demands for dating apps.

Dating trade body ODDA has made Veriff an associate partner as UK and EU rules push platforms towards identity verification.

Sumsub and ODDA say AI deepfakes have made one-off selfie checks on dating apps inadequate, as BioCatch reports a 63% rise in romance scams.

UK dating platforms must submit risk assessments to Ofcom by 31 July or face Online Safety Act enforcement and penalties of up to £18M.

Sequel says removing its suspended account notice cut new scam profile registrations by more than 30% within 24 hours, a self-reported result.

Turkey has blocked Jack'd and other LGBTQ+ dating apps weeks after Hornet, the most significant coordinated crackdown on such services in the country.

Ofcom's Online Safety Act guidance puts heavy age verification and moderation duties on dating apps, and small apps face the biggest burden.

UK under-16 social media ban due in Q2 2027 will not directly cover dating apps but may lead to mandatory age checks for them.

A seller claims to be selling 15 million Grindr user records, including HIV test data, on the dark web. Grindr says it found no evidence.

DatingBuzz denies a breach after threat actors claimed to be selling 670,000 of its user records on dark web forums, according to MyBroadband.

A US appeals court let Texas enforce its App Store Accountability Act, adding app store age friction that could raise dating apps' acquisition costs.

More than 25% of fraudulent payment cases in Canada involve stolen credit cards, against 19% globally, TransUnion says. Dating apps have focused on AI.

Ofcom has published a compliance roadmap for UK dating platforms under the Online Safety Act, with risk assessments due between April and July 2026.

Meta uses AI to analyse height and bone structure in photos to identify users under 13 on Facebook and Instagram, which dating apps should watch.

Americans lost $2.1 billion to social media scams in 2025, the FTC says, while dating apps face heavier safety duties than social platforms.

South Korea fined matchmaker Duo 1.2 billion won ($810,000) over a January 2025 breach affecting nearly 430,000 users and a three-day reporting delay.

Clarifai has deleted 3 million OkCupid photos and models trained on them, the FTC says, over a 2014 transfer that breached OkCupid's privacy policy.

Kochi Prefecture in Japan will reimburse residents aged 20 to 39 up to 20,000 yen (£93) annually for state-approved matchmaking platforms.