Russian authorities are now demanding Tinder surrender user data to Russian intelligence agencies.
The Russian communications regulator Roskomnadzor revealed Monday they included Tinder on a list of online services required to provide user data, according to The Moscow Times.
Tinder will now be required to provide user data including voice audio, videos and private messages to Russian authorities and the Federal Security Service (FSB). (RELATED: Beto Laments That People In Rural Areas Can’t Use Tinder)
Russia’s internet and communications regulator has told Tinder’s parent company to turn over user records to the state security agency. https://t.co/l9OXCkQPJQ pic.twitter.com/lguVPOwmUm
— Zack Whittaker (@zackwhittaker) June 3, 2019
Tinder is an online app that connects users by allowing them to swipe left or right on pictures of one another. The app is intended for accessible dating and boasts 26 million matches a day.
“Tinder is one of the world’s most popular dating sites for meeting new people,” the company says on their website. “Think of us as your most dependable wingman—wherever you go, we’ll be there.”
“No stress. No rejection,” Tinder adds. “Just swipe, match, and chat online with your matches, then step away from your phone, meet up in the real world and spark something new.”
Tinder must comply with Russian authorities or face being blocked in Russia, according to the Associated Press. Tinder users in Russia now face government access to their messaging which would also apply to users who messaged other Tinder users in Russia, according to the AP.
Russia has cracked down on online services in recent years, blocking LinkedIn in 2016 through a court order for refusing to turn over personal data on Russian citizens.
The Russian government made the voice messaging app Zello unavailable in the country last year. Russian truck drivers had used the app in 2015 to protest against a new toll system.
The FSB and top Russian officials also unsuccessfully attacked Telegram and attempted to block the messaging app in within Russia.
“We received a request to register with the Russian authorities, and, as of now, we have registered to be compliant,” a Tinder spokesman said in a statement to The Daily Caller News Foundation.
“However, this registration in no way shares any user or personal data with any Russian regulatory bodies and we have not handed over any data to their government.”
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