Match Group settles US FTC claims it illegally shared OkCupid user data


The Federal Trade Commission building is seen in Washington on March 4, 2012. REUTERS/Gary Cameron (UNITED STATES)

March 30 (Reuters) - Match ⁠Group agreed to settle a ⁠U.S. Federal Trade Commission lawsuit claiming ‌it gave an outside company unauthorized access to personal data belonging to millions of users ​of the OkCupid dating ⁠app.

The FTC said ⁠OkCupid users were never told their information - including ⁠nearly ‌3 million photos, demographic information and location data - would ⁠be shared in 2014 with Clarifai, ​a facial ‌recognition technology company, contrary to OkCupid's ⁠privacy policies.

Monday's ​settlement in Dallas federal court prohibits Match from misrepresenting the privacy of ⁠user information, and requires the ​Dallas-based company to certify compliance.

Match and OkCupid neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing, and ⁠could face civil fines for future violations. The settlement requires court approval.

A spokesperson for OkCupid said it has strengthened ​its privacy practices, and ⁠the alleged conduct "does not reflect how ​OkCupid operates today."

(Reporting by ‌Jonathan Stempel and Jody ​Godoy in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Mark Porter)

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