Privacy and Free Speech: It's Good for Romance, Too?
These days, more and more people turn to the Internet to find true love – and in the process share some of their most personal information with companies looking to act as matchmakers. And while the ACLU may not help you find your soulmate on Valentine's Day, the latest edition of Privacy and Free Speech: It's Good for Business, our guide for companies, can help online dating services and other companies protect that private data and avoid a bad breakup with their users.
Here are some examples of the practical tips companies will find in the guide – and newly-added case studes from Privacy and Free Speech illustrating a few examples where online dating services have learned those lessons the hard way:
Romantic relationships can go south in a hurry if one person doesn't feel secure – and the same is true of relationships between companies and users. Keeping your users' personal data safe is essential to building long-term trust – while failing to do so can lead to heartbreak. And if something does go wrong on your end, acknowledging the failure and fixing the problem rather than blaming the other person is the right move, in love and in business.
CASE STUDY: Location-Based Social Apps Grindr, Blendr Slammed for Lack of Security
CASE STUDY: OkCupid Sends Mixed Messages About Security Flaw
Honesty is a key element in a relationship, and users of dating sites will only stick around if there is trust. If your dating site shares user data, be absolutely clear about how and why the data is being shared. Don't keep the actual use of your users' data buried in a privacy policy—be up front about the use so users don't feel taken advantage of. Investigations that reveal heavy data sharing where a dating service has not been completely honest may make a jaded lover out of even the most loyal user.
CASE STUDY: OkCupid Misfires with Data Sharing Practices
Many users hope that online dating services will lead to lifelong relationships – but probably not with the service itself! Users shouldn't have to worry that their personal data – from the photos they post to the other users they interact with – will be retained if they stop using the service. So when it's time to go your separate ways, don't keep your users' data in your databases forever – nothing but heartache comes from that.
CASE STUDY: eHarmony Criticized for Keeping User Data Forever
It's difficult to make a business out of building relationships online if you don't take steps to protect your own relationship with your customers. Privacy and Free Speech: It's Good for Business can help companies do just that. So this year, don't just send flowers or candy to those venture capitalists or entrepreneurs nearest and dearest to your heart – send this post their way too!
(Though we wouldn't recommend sending this instead of flowers or candy; practical business advice may be appreciated, but it's not the most romantic of gifts…)
Chris Conley is the Technology and Civil Liberties Fellow with the ACLU of Northern California.
