Verdict: the popular belief that adult dating services quietly hoard user data for profit is misleading. Context: we used to accept that these platforms treated personal information as a currency—collected without adequate oversight and traded with minimal accountability—but evolving privacy rules are forcing a reality check. Shift in practice: as operators, users, and regulators converge […]

Forty-seven percent of adults using online dating platforms report encountering deceptive or harmful behavior, and we can no longer ignore what that figure implies. We have watched these services evolve from novelty apps to central spaces for intimacy, yet the safety frameworks lag behind user needs. As authors and advocates who study digital trust, we […]