This semester, I am taking a class called Contemporary Issues in Digital Media. Each of us had to do a 10-minute presentation about, you guessed in, a contemporary issue in digital media. Yesterday, a student presented about the false pretense of security that certain dating websites offer–specifically, match.com. I just thought it was interesting and I wanted to share what she said with all y’all.

So Tinder, OKCupid, and Match.com are all owned by the same NYC-based Internet company. IAC, which is owned by Barry Diller, has kept a relatively clean rep over the years. There were some issues with former-PR executive Justine Sacco and a racist tweet, but otherwise, squeaky clean. It kind of surprises me that IAC engages in the kind of deception that it does.

One would think that a company that manages three (seemingly) vastly different dating sites knows  a little something about online dating. For example, Match.com chargers a pretty sizable fee for monthly use, but its Terms and Conditions do not do the users any favors. Despite the fact that users have to pay, it’s not really a legit dating site as IAC might have them believe. People make fun of OKCupid a lot because stuff like this happens:

http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/how-find-out-if-online-profile-fake

But it’s liable to happen on Match.com too! Match.com has a tendency to mindlessly approve fake profiles. Whether or not you believe in the validity of online dating, be wary of the platform you use.