Facsebook Inc. is vying to overtake dating apps in the U.S. after releasing its own service here Thursday.
The company said that after testing the feature in a number of countries since 2018, the service will roll out to American lonely hearts.
In a blog post, Facebook said the feature will already know interests, groups, events attended and more, so users won’t have to bother creating a dating profile if they don’t want to. The dating profile can also be linked with a user’s Instagram profile.
In a separate post, Facebook discussed privacy issues, no doubt well aware some people might be wary of sharing personal information with strangers on the platform.
Dating will be opt-in, and if a user does so, all that will first appear are age and first name. The user can then choose to add more information and images. Nothing that happens in dating will appear on a person’s Facebook profile or news feed.
Users can also choose if they want friends to appear as possible matches, or just strangers. Friends of friends can appear, and if someone does like a friend, that can be revealed by hitting “Secret Crush.” That person won’t know about the crush unless he or she also chose you as a secret crush. People will be notified someone in their friends list has a crush on them, but won’t know who.
Much like any other dating app, possible matches will appear and users can swipe past or like that profile. People can also leave a message on that dating profile.
Facebook seems to believe it can take over the dating market, stating that its own research shows 40% of people are not content with their current dating app. After news of the U.S. release, Tinder parent Match Group Inc.’s shares plummeted.
Still, although Facebook has an obvious advantage over its new competitors, some critics believe sending any more information to the company that gave us the Cambridge Analytica scandal is a bridge too far. Facebook doesn’t see it that way, writing that its dating service is completely safe.
“We’re committed to protecting people’s privacy within Facebook Dating so that we can create a place where people feel comfortable looking for a date and starting meaningful relationships,” the company said.
Image: Facebook
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