Tinder says it’s boosted data security with encryption

Tinder, the popular online dating application, says it is taking steps to better secure the privacy of its users by encrypting some of its data.

Match Group Inc., the company that operates Tinder, told Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) in a letter dated Wednesday that its swiping data and images on the application are better protected against malicious hackers looking to access such information.

{mosads}”We take the security and privacy of our users seriously and employ a network of tools and systems to protect the integrity of our platform, including encryption,” wrote Jared Sine, general counsel for Match Group.

The company said on June 19 they padded their swipe data so that “all actions are now the same size” and as of early February, “the images transmitted between the Tinder app and servers are now fully encrypted.”

These measures will help prevent hackers from viewing the same photos a Tinder user may be seeing if they were operating their devices on the same wi-fi network — a vulnerability that after cybersecurity researchers first warned about in January. 

“As you can imagine, in an effort to avoid tipping off would-be-attackers, we do not publicly disclose our specific security tools or processes or enhancements we implement. But, please know that we are continually working to stop cyber threats and attackers,” Sine wrote to Wyden, stating that Tinder is “constantly working to improve our defenses in the battle against malicious hackers and cyber criminals.”

“As part of our ongoing efforts in this arena, we employ a Bug Bounty Program and work with skilled security researchers across the globe to responsibly identify potential issues and quickly resolve them.”

In February, Wyden pressed Tinder to address their security “lapses.”

“These security oversights leave Americans vulnerable to snooping in their most intimate activities. Tinder can easily enhance privacy to its users by encrypting all data transmitted between its app and server, and padding sensitive transactions to thwart snooping,” he wrote in a letter at the time.