Match Group, Tinder class action claims companies illegally store face scans

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Tinder biometric data class action overview: 

• Who: Tinder and its parent company Match Group Inc. are being sued by app users.
• Why: Plaintiffs allege Tinder illegally stored the facial scans of Illinois app users. 
• Where: The Tinder class action lawsuit was filed in an Illinois federal court.

A class action lawsuit alleging Tinder and its parent company violated Illinois privacy laws by storing facial scans of Tinder dating app users without their consent will be heard in a federal court.

The Tinder class action lawsuit — filed by Illinois residents against Match Group Inc. and its subsidiary Tinder Inc. on Oct. 3 in Cook County Circuit Court — was removed by the defendants to a federal court Nov. 28.

In it, plaintiffs Bria Randle, Vanessa Gusman, Kasie Sedwick, Nicole DeMonte, Ainsley Jacobson and Brandy Luker allege Tinder illegally collected and stored facial biometric data collected through the dating app’s photo verification feature.

The feature allows the company to make sure the person using the account matches their photos by using a video “selfie” taken by the user. 

If the Tinder user’s video “selfie” matches their photos, they get a “photo verified” status on the app, which assures other users that the person is real and looks the same as their photographs.

The verification requires consumer biometric data in the form of facial scans, the use of which is protected in Illinois under the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). 

BIPA regulates the collection, use and handling of biometric identifiers and information by private entities and requires informed consent from a company when collecting biometric information.

Tinder and Match illegally collected biometric data from 2020, lawsuit alleges

According to the Tinder lawsuit, Match Group began using selfie biometrics for identity verification on Tinder in early 2020.

Not only did the companies fail to seek consent from Illinois users that it was collecting and storing their facial data, it did not inform them how the data would be used or how long it would be stored for. 

“Unlike written passwords or social security numbers — which can be changed or replaced if stolen or compromised — biometrics are unique, permanent biometric identifiers associated with each individual,” the lawsuit states.

The plaintiffs are looking to represent all Illinois residents who used Tinder’s photo verification feature. They are seeking damages, an order forcing the companies to adhere to BIPA in its data collection, fees, costs and a jury trial.

In 2021, a Tinder age discrimination class action lawsuit settlement ended claims that Tinder broke several laws and acted unconscionably toward its customers by charging a higher price for Tinder Plus or Tinder Gold subscriptions to consumers who were older than 29. 

What do you think of Tinder’s alleged collection of facial data? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiffs are represented by Brandon Michael Wise of Peiffer Wolf Carr Kane Conway & Wise LLP.

The Tinder biometric data lawsuit is Randle, et al. v. Match Group Inc., et al., Case No. 1:22-cv-06632, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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