Andrey Andreev Talks Privacy and the Future of Badoo

Andrey Andreev, CEO of Badoo, has been featured in a wide ranging interview in the Spanish edition of Esquire magazine.

Andreev says he is confident that Badoo will never be implicated in a data sharing scandal. His organisation never sells data to third parties, he claims, and it never will.

He reflected on Badoo being in competition with Facebook from 2006 to 2008, saying that he felt Badoo was more advanced at the time. Once Facebook conquered the American market, however, Badoo could no longer compete.

One new feature on the Russian’s platform will give users the ability to meet people on a flight, connecting via bluetooth in departure lounges. Andreev says this update is simply another way to get introduced to strangers.

Another is the ability to search for friends of friends – conversations that start with a mutual connection are far more likely to be successful, Badoo data shows.

He likens the app as a whole to a massive bar or nightclub – people can start conversations with a variety of intentions, and have to pay for the best experiences.

He also reports having an interest in Augmented Reality software, and says this may be implemented on Badoo in the future.

Being able to scan a bar from the outside and see which profiles / users are inside, “like Terminator”, is one feature idea. FlirtAR runs on similar technology.

Andreev also covers the ways in which women can stay safe while using his service, encouraging them to focus on verified profiles and make use of video chat.

Read more here [Spanish].