💡 Key Takeaways: * Privacy concerns are significant - Facebook will log all dating interactions, rejections, and messages, though they claim this won't be used for advertising * Scam risk is high - with romance scams already costing victims $1 billion in 2021, Facebook Dating's access to personal data could make scamming easier * Older users most vulnerable - service likely to attract 50+ users comfortable with Facebook but not dating apps, who are also most targeted by scammers * Marketing potential raises questions - Facebook's business model relies on targeted advertising, making it unclear how they'll resist using valuable dating data * Built-in user base is massive - with 200M+ single Facebook users, the platform has unprecedented access to personal information and potential matches With over 200 million single people on Facebook, Facebook Dating seems to have a built-in market - and unfettered access to information that’s as personal as it gets: your love life. Thanks to 2018's data leak scandal [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-privacy/facebook-says-data-leak-hits-87-million-users-widening-privacy-scandal-idUSKCN1HB2CM], the entire world is well aware of how much information Facebook collects [https://www.vidaselect.com/facebook-dating-privacy/] on its users. Who you like, who you don’t, what events you unlock - even what you message - is your data safe, and what exactly is Facebook doing with it? As the Washington Post [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/05/03/facebooks-dating-service-is-a-chance-to-meet-the-catfisher-advertiser-or-scammer-of-your-dreams/] reported, there’s widespread concern that users who opt in won’t understand just how much data they’re providing: > “Facebook will log interactions on the dating site, keep a record of everyone a user likes or rejects and gather other data necessary for the service to work.” > > > A GOLD MINE FOR MARKETING > > According to Facebook officials, all that juicy dating data won’t be used for targeted advertising. But for a company whose entire business model depends on just that, how can they possibly pass up a buffet like that? > > Mike Herrick [https://www.urbanairship.com/company/leadership], an SVP at the market analytics company Urban Airship, told the Washington Post [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/05/03/facebooks-dating-service-is-a-chance-to-meet-the-catfisher-advertiser-or-scammer-of-your-dreams/?noredirect=on] that learning a person’s dating wants and desires would be much easier through data gathered as they use Facebook Dating. > > And that kind of personal data is a potential marketing gold mine for marketing: > > > “If you’re an advertiser and you know somebody’s dating, they might also be more likely to purchase new clothes or makeup or other products,” Herrick said. > > Will Zuckerberg et al really be able to resist the opportunity to display the latest JustFab ads to women who just agreed to a date, or suggest the Dollar Shave Club to guys? > > Eva Galperin [https://twitter.com/evacide/status/991384396681756672], Electronic Frontier Foundation’s director of cybersecurity, has her reservations: > > > > Of course, targeted advertising is only the tip of the dark side’s substantial iceberg. > > > A POTENTIAL HAVEN FOR ROMANCE SCAMMERS > > There’s also the fact that Facebook and romance scammers have already proven to be a match made in heaven. > > Unfortunately launching a romance scam is a relatively simple process: > > 1. Steal Facebook photos > 2. Use them to create a fake Facebook account > 3. Start friending people left and right > 4. Get a fish on the hook > 5. Move the conversation over to Messenger or WhatsApp > > Once the soon-to-be victim is emotionally invested in the online relationship, the money grab will follow soon after. > > Now combine that with an entire social network’s worth of people who are on there specifically looking for romance? > > Talk about your target rich environment. > > > > > ROMANCE SCAMS ARE ON THE RISE > > The FBI reported victims lost $1 billion to romance scammers [https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/houston/news/press-releases/1-billion-in-losses-reported-by-victims-of-romance-scams] in 2021. And that's just from the people who actually reported they were scam victims. > > Of course, that’s only the cases the FBI knows about. Many victims never come forward because of the associated shame and embarrassment. > > According to the FBI [https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/romance-scams], older women, often divorced or widowed, are frequent victims. > > One such victim who didn’t want to use her name in the interview [https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/romance-scams] she gave the FBI said that she’s very active on Facebook because she thought it was “safe”. She ended up losing $2 million to a scammer. > > There’s speculation that many of the dating service’s new users will be 50+. Older folks who just aren’t comfortable with the technology (and vulnerability) that using an app like Tinder requires. > > But they’re already on Facebook, so it could be a comfortable extension. (Has the dating service piqued your curiosity? Find out how Facebook Dating works [/facebook-dating-how-it-works/]!) > > Some consumer advocates, like Justin Brookman [https://consumersunion.org/experts/justin-brookman/], are concerned. He posed these questions to the Washington Post [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/05/03/facebooks-dating-service-is-a-chance-to-meet-the-catfisher-advertiser-or-scammer-of-your-dreams/?noredirect=on]: > > > “Facebook already knows a lot about you that you tell it, and it collects a lot of information about you beyond that. … Now here’s this whole other bucket of really sensitive stuff. How will Facebook police that? Will they put the resources into safety? … Or will their thirst for engagement trump these other concerns?” > > Zuckerberg has responded to doubters by saying that the Facebook Dating app was designed with “privacy and safety in mind from the beginning.” But will it be enough? > > Only time will tell.
