OKCupid Rejects ‘Unfounded’ Safety Concerns Following Bureau of Investigative Journalism Report
OkCupid has denied serious safety allegations after former workers claimed safety and privacy issues were constantly neglected and put users at risk of sexual violence.
An investigative report by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ) published yesterday (July 22) revealed several mishandling, nepotism, and negligence accusations from staff at the online dating service.
Michael Kaye, OkCupid’s communications director, told TBIJ: “Violent offenders have no place in our physical or online communities; we act on every report received, and vigilantly remove and block accounts suspected of this behaviour from our platform.
“We utilise industry-leading technologies, support federal and state legislation that promotes online safety, and work closely with law enforcement to ensure that justice is served.
“We strongly refute these unfounded allegations regarding improper use of user data and the handling of user requests. We stand behind the policies and processes we have in place to keep our employees and users safe and their data protected.”
Alarming accounts of safety and privacy failures in OkCupid included discussing sexual assault reports in a “flippant and dismissive way” and a former customer service manager ignoring requests to help with criminal investigations. One message request was reportedly regarding a mass shooting threat while another was related to a potential sex trafficking case.
“[The former manager’s] negligence could lead to assaults, rapes, etc that could have been prevented but weren’t because of procedural breakdowns,” said a timeline document compiled by OkCupid staff and shared with its parent company Match Group.
“In addition to the moral aspect, this could also easily spill into legal action and/or become a PR nightmare.”
OkCupid started in 2004 before it was later acquired by Match Group, which operates 45 brands including Tinder and Hinge.
Sources told TBIJ that OkCupid’s deterioration was due to alleged mismanagement and nepotism, which some revealed a former manager did not have sufficient experience for the position.
The person in question received multiple complaints and was also close friends with the chief product officer at OkCupid (where he had oversight of their team) and fellow sister brand Archer.
The report also highlighted OkCupid staff had reported TaskUs contractors for making frequent errors when responding to users.
TaskUs, which is headquartered in Texas but recruits the bulk of its staff from the Philippines, is among the leading outsourcing companies serving the dating app market, and has had moderation contracts with Bumble and Tinder. They have also provided outsourced moderators for Bumble, and one former Bumble worker told TBIJ there were “quality issues” with TaskUs’ work.
TaskUs had previously worked with Hinge but lost this contract due to poor performance, according to one former OkCupid worker.
Timeline document shared with Match Group showed one worker allegedly “became so frustrated by the refusal to address any of the many performance issues with TaskUs that he created a PowerPoint about them and presented it in [a] team meeting.”
Kaye, the OkCupid spokesperson, told TBIJ: “We also take the utmost care to ensure that all reports are handled with diligence and respect for our users and their privacy.
“This includes specialised sensitivity training conducted by RAINN for our Trust & Safety teams, mental health support for our moderator teams, and regular reviews with our safety partners to ensure we have the latest technologies and processes in place.
“We will always work to improve our systems to help ensure everyone on our apps feels respected and safe.”