Match.com’s recent $50 million purchase of OkCupid has OkC’s users worried about what will happen to their personal information.  It’s no secret that many dating sites, particularly free ones, make a profit by selling their members’ data to advertisers.  And just last week, hackers stole 345 accounts from the popular online dating site PlentyOfFish.com after exploiting a security vulnerability.  One thing is clear:  your personal information probably isn’t safe on online dating sites.

The FTC has stated that dating sites must inform new users about how they plan to use their data, and it’s unlawful for a site that claims it will keep your data safe to later sell it to advertisers.  How they must inform you, however, isn’t well-defined:  many hide the fact that they’re swapping your information across the web deep within lengthy privacy policies or terms of use.

Because it’s been in the news recently (and because one of us met her husband on the site), we chose to research OkCupid.com to see how it collects and uses its members’ information.  Read on; some of our findings may surprise you.

Trackers and beacons and ad networks; oh my!

Even if you’re not a member and you’re merely visiting, we found that OkCupid used four different tracking sites or behavioral ad networks to obtain information about visitors: Google Analytics, Quantcast, Comscore Beacon, and BlueKai.

The site also stores information on your browser using cookies.  When we visited, we found three such cookies from OkCupid.  It’s important to note that cookies get a bad rap:  they’re not always a security risk, and they’re often helpful at sites you frequently visit.  For more information, check out our explanation of the pros and cons of cookies.

OkCupid admits to this sort of behavioral tracking of its users in its Privacy Policy:

“. . . we may partner with third party advertisers who may (themselves or through their partners) place or recognize a unique cookie on your browser. These cookies enable more customized ads, content or services to be provided to you.”

Thought you deleted that picture?  Think again.

 

OkCupid’s privacy policy also states that the site collects its members’ “personal interests, gender, age, education, occupation and certain relationship preferences. . . name, email and photo,” as well as their browser and IP address.  Of course, members usually choose to disclose far more than these things to experience everything the site has to offer, answering questions, taking quizzes, and filling out location information.  Note that even if you delete information from your profile or account, OkCupid states that “we may keep such information archived indefinitely.”  Put bluntly, anything you post on the site may be there forever.

 

The site also uses anonymous data to compile the dating research it presents on OkTrends, investigating things like messages received versus attractiveness and personality traits by sexual orientation.

After digging into OkCupid’s Privacy Policy, we learned that they say that “third parties” and “service providers” can access members’ personal information in order to “direct[] and display[] specific advertisements” to them.  Advertisers can compile information about whether you or anyone else who’s using your computer saw their ads and clicked them.  In this way, they build a profile of your likes and interests to target you with ads that they believe you’ll respond to.

We also learned that you can email OkCupid at priv...@okcupid.com to request that they don’t share your information with others.

Match.com now owns OkCupid.  Does that change anything?

 

 

Match.com itself is owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp, which owns more than 40 companies and websites including CitySearch.com, CollegeHumor.com, Ask.com, Vimeo.com, Chemistry.com, and UrbanSpoon.com.  What’s interesting is that IAC’s Privacy Policy allow it to share information freely between the many companies and websites it owns, as well as “Other businesses with which [it] partner[s].”

Our visits to Match.com’s landing page and member login page showed the use of two tracking sites (Google Analytics and Doubleclick) and four ad networks (SpecificMEDIA, Adconion, Turn, and Dedicated Networks).

 

Now that Match.com (and thus IAC) owns OkCupid, Match also owns OkCupid’s members’ information.  As OkCupid’s privacy policy states,

“If the ownership of all or substantially all of the OkCupid business or assets were to change, your user information would likely be transferred to the new owner(s).”

If you’re a member of OkCupid and the thought of the many websites that IAC owns accessing your personal information doesn’t appeal to you, now’s a good time to cancel that account.  Of course, our DeleteMe experts can always do it for you.

To summarize our findings about OkCupid’s privacy policy:

 

-       OkCupid.com uses several web trackers, ad networks, and tracking cookies

-       It shares your information with advertisers

-       Anything you post may be archived forever

-       Match.com, IAC, and all of IAC’s properties may now access all of OkCupid’s user information

Tips for staying safe

 

• Use a browser add-on, such as Abine’s free PrivacySuite, to block trackers and ad networks while you’re on a site like OkCupid.  You can also use it to keep only the cookies you need, deleting those that could jeopardize your security.
• Only provide the amount of personal information that’s absolutely necessary for site membership.  A good rule of thumb:  if it’s optional, don’t fill it in.
• Use an alias or a pseudonym, and use an anonymous email that forwards to your real inbox to avoid getting spammed.
• Think twice before posting any content on OkCupid or any other dating website.  Even if you delete it later, it may be archived permanently.

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