Match Group / Tinder
Flagged · AvoidMatch Group is the world's largest online dating company, operating more than a dozen apps including Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and Match.com across 190 countries.
Last updated June 14, 2026
↓ Skip to 1 ethical alternativesReasons to avoid
Issues span:ConsumerPrivacy
- An 18-month investigation by the Pulitzer Center and CalMatters, published by The Guardian and NPR in February 2025, found that Match Group had been tracking reports of rape and assault across its apps since 2016, with its internal database logging hundreds of troubling incidents per week by 2022. The company repeatedly failed to remove reported abusers, and in one documented case, a Denver man was reported for rape as early as September 2020 but remained active on Hinge and Tinder until his arrest in 2023, by which point at least 15 women had reported being attacked.
- The FTC sued Match Group in 2019, alleging it misled users with a "six-month guarantee" that came with hidden conditions, made subscriptions deliberately difficult to cancel, and retaliated against users who disputed charges. The company settled in August 2025 for $14 million and was required to overhaul its cancellation practices across Match.com, OkCupid, PlentyOfFish, and other platforms.
- The FTC settled with Match Group and its OkCupid subsidiary in March 2026 after finding that OkCupid secretly shared nearly 3 million users' photos, along with demographic and location data, with facial recognition company Clarifai starting in 2014 without informing users or obtaining consent. The FTC also found that Match Group spent over a decade concealing the data transfer and actively obstructing the federal investigation.
Ethical alternatives
Dating Apps
Feeld
Independent and ad-free dating app for open-minded people of all orientations and genders, including singles and couples. It serves the queer and non-monogamous communities that mainstream apps underserve.
Visit →Common Questions
- Is Match Group / Tinder ethical?
- An 18-month investigation published in 2025 found Match Group tracked hundreds of rape and assault reports per week internally since 2016 but repeatedly failed to remove reported abusers. In one documented case, a man reported for rape in September 2020 remained active on Hinge and Tinder until his arrest in 2023, by which point at least 15 women had reported being attacked.
- Why should I avoid Match Group / Tinder?
- The FTC settled a $14 million case in 2025 against Match Group for misleading users with hidden-condition guarantees and deliberately difficult cancellation flows. In 2026, the FTC also found that OkCupid secretly shared nearly 3 million users' photos and data with a facial recognition company starting in 2014 without consent, and that Match Group spent over a decade concealing it.
- What are the best ethical alternatives to Match Group / Tinder?
- Bumble is a dating app where women make the first move, with a stronger public track record on safety features and transparency. Hily is an independent dating app with AI-based safety screening built into its matching process. Both operate independently of Match Group.