Tinder Social, a new feature from the dating service, has launched with the view of matching groups of friends to others, but reveals your dating profile in the process.
On the surface, it’s not a half-bad idea. Dating app Tinder has released Tinder Social, a means to get to know new people by matching a group of friends with another, similarly to how singles would normally match on the app.
Once a group of friends has matched with another, Social offers a group chat in which members can agree on a meet up plan or arrange a double date.
Read: Tinder uses a hidden score to calculate “˜desirability‘
However, Tinder Social relies on a user’s Facebook friends list to construct a group – meaning that to form a group, users would need to invite friends with an existing Tinder account.
This has lead to some users discovering that some of their friends, family, co-workers or even committed spouses have a Tinder account.
TechRadar reports that some users have discovered their partners guilty of swiping while committed, while others have been propositioned for group sex.
While the idea of matching groups together is an interesting one – promising a potentially safer means of meeting new people than going it alone – the launch of Tinder Social has drawn massive criticism for oversharing private information.
Tinder has stated that users can of course opt-out of Social, with many users in turn complaining that the service should be opt-in.
Tinder’s official blog states that “We are only testing it at this point… but it’s important to note Tinder’s not a secret, considering 70% of users download Tinder because their friends recommend it.”
However, many of Tinder’s users have complained that the new service violates their privacy regardless.
Read: Boompi is a dating app where your girl friends eavesdrop
What’s your view? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
Follow Bryan Smith on Twitter: @bryansmithSA
