Clarifai Deletes 3M OkCupid User Photos After FTC Settlement

Clarifai, an AI company specializing in computer vision, has deleted approximately 3 million user photos obtained from the dating app OkCupid in 2014, along with any facial recognition models trained on that data. The purge follows a settlement between the Federal Trade Commission and OkCupid’s parent company, Match Group, over allegations that the photos and associated demographic and location data were shared in violation of OkCupid’s privacy policy.

According to FTC documents and court records, the data transfer occurred after Clarifai’s founder contacted OkCupid co-founder Maxwell Krohn requesting access to its large dataset for AI training. At the time, several OkCupid executives held investments in Clarifai, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest. OkCupid provided nearly three million photos without a formal agreement, without restrictions on usage, and without notifying users or offering an opt-out option. This action directly contradicted the app’s stated policy against sharing personal data with unrelated third parties.

The FTC opened its investigation in 2019. The matter was resolved in late March 2026 through a settlement in which Match Group and OkCupid did not admit wrongdoing. As part of the agreement, the companies are permanently prohibited from misrepresenting their data practices. No financial penalties were imposed, as the FTC lacks authority to levy fines for this type of violation. Clarifai certified the data deletion to the FTC on April 7, 2026, and confirmed it had not shared the information with other parties.

The incident highlights how loosely personal data, particularly intimate photos uploaded to dating apps, was handled in the early years of AI development. Users typically share images on platforms like OkCupid expecting them to support matchmaking functions, not to train commercial facial recognition systems used in content moderation, security, or other applications.