Dating app regulation tracker

Fines, court rulings, new laws and proposals that affect dating apps, newest first.

  1. IE: DPC fines Tinder operator €11M over incomplete data copies (Fine, ). Ireland's DPC fined MTCH €11M, says Tinder's data download tool omitted data (Art. 15(3) GDPR); dating apps should audit export tools. Match will appeal.
  2. Turkey: Istanbul court blocks access to nine dating apps incl. OkCupid (Ruling, ). Istanbul's 1st Criminal Judgeship of Peace ordered nine dating apps, including OkCupid and Feeld, blocked in Turkey; no grounds were published. Source.
  3. US: New York enacts law barring AI companion features for minors (Bill, ). Hochul signed S.9051B on 28 October; from 1 January 2027 AI companion features need age assurance, with AG penalties up to $25,000 a violation. Source.
  4. US: FTC sues Digital Forensics over alleged $60M sextortion scheme (Action, ). The FTC sued an Ohio firm it accuses of running a sextortion relief scheme and says a court has temporarily halted it. Sextortion often starts on dating apps. Source.
  5. US: Joint Economic Committee report on Tinder scammers (Report, ). Congressional report says scam accounts on Tinder reached about seven times more members. Source.
  6. NO: Datatilsynet fines Microsoft's Xandr NOK 92M over Grindr data (Fine, ). Norway's data protection authority fined the ad network for unlawfully sharing personal data. Source.
  7. UK: ODDA launches a consumer safety panel (Proposal, ). The trade body is recruiting 12 to 16 members of the public to help shape dating app safety standards.
  8. AU: Court declares six breaches by eharmony (Ruling, ). eharmony says it will seek to appeal. No penalty has been set yet.
  9. UK: Plans for an under-16 social media ban (Proposal, ). Government plans to tighten online safety rules for young people, with knock-on effects for age checks.
  10. US: Pennsylvania House passes AI Companion Safety Act, HB 2006 (Bill, ). Pennsylvania's House passed HB 2006 by 133-70, with minor safeguards and fines up to $100,000 a day; it needs Senate approval and signals risk for relationship apps.
  11. US: Romance Scam Prevention Act (Bill, ). Senate bill that would require dating apps to warn members about accounts removed for fraud.
  12. AU: Digital duty of care (Proposal, ). Proposed legal duty on platforms, including dating apps, to take reasonable steps to keep users safe.
  13. EU: Proposed limits on social media for children (Proposal, ). EU proposals would make age verification a routine cost for platforms that allow adults to meet.
  14. AU: Australia proposes 'feed choice' law with A$200M penalties (Proposal, ). Government plans to make platforms offer algorithmic or chronological feeds; dating apps may be in scope, as the draft definition is unpublished.
  15. KR: KFTC fines Duo ₩345M over misleading matchmaking claims (Fine, ). South Korea's Fair Trade Commission fined Duo ₩345M for false claims on membership quality and matchmaker numbers; superiority claims now need objective evidence.
  16. US: New Jersey AG settles with Match Group over background checks (Action, ). Match Group pays $650,000 and must disclose the limits of criminal background checks on Tinder, Hinge and other apps for New Jersey users. Source.
  17. US: New York AG publishes final SAFE for Kids Act rules (Proposal, ). The New York AG published final rules requiring parental consent for algorithmic feeds for under-18s; dating apps with personalised feeds may be covered from 25 January 2027.