Dating App OkCupid: US Authority Criticizes Secret User Data Transfer Sensitive data from millions of users allegedly ended up with a biometrics startup. The FTC lets those responsible get away with mild conditions. Match Group is said to have shared extensive user data from its dating app OkCupid, including almost three million photos, with the biometrics company Clarifai. According to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the photos were sent to the then-startup in 2014 along with location data and other personal information. There, they were used to train image recognition software. The operators are also said to have concealed the data transfer for almost twelve years and deliberately denied it to the public and concerned users. Possible consequences for those affected would be that their biometric data remains permanently in facial recognition systems and they become identifiable in other contexts. Furthermore, conclusions could be drawn about other intimate details, especially if the information is linked with other data sources or resold to other companies. Settlement without penalty The majority of OkCupid users are from the United States. The FTC documents do not specify which other countries may be affected. Match Group, which claims to be the world leader in online dating, is active in Germany primarily with apps such as Tinder or Hinge. Following a lawsuit by the FTC, the supervisory authority has now reached a settlement with the operating companies Match Group and Humor Rainbow. The operators do not admit the allegations of unlawful data transfer but commit to stricter data protection regulations, for which a fine is to be waived. Clarifai, in which the OkCupid founders were personally involved as investors, is said to have requested the data and received it without consideration and with no restrictions on its use. The affected users of the dating app