Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) has launched an investigation into how Tinder processes users’ personal data. It is also investigating the transparency surrounding its ongoing processing, and compliance with obligations with regard to data subject right’s requests.
The DPC said complaints about the dating app have been made from individuals in multiple EU countries, not just in Ireland — with the Irish regulator taking the lead under a GDPR mechanism to manage cross-border investigations.
It said the Tinder probe came about as a result of active monitoring of complaints received from individuals “both in Ireland and across the EU” in order to identify “thematic and possible systemic data protection issues”.
“The Inquiry of the DPC will set out to establish whether the company has a legal basis for the ongoing processing of its users’ personal data and whether it meets its obligations as a data controller with regard to transparency and its compliance with data subject right’s requests,” the DPC added.
It’s not clear exactly which GDPR rights have been complained about by Tinder users at this stage. But some users have accused the company of not providing a copy of all the data it holds on them.
Match Group, responded to the investigation with this statement: “Transparency and protecting our users’ personal data is of utmost importance to us. We are fully cooperating with the Data Protection Commission, and will continue to abide by GDPR and all applicable laws.”
This latest development comes a month after a Norwegian government agency released a report outlining allegations that several leading dating apps, including Tinder, broke GDPR by sharing user information with marketers.
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