The Tinder dating app is now required to share its user data with Russian authorities, according to Russia’s Roskomsvoboda internet rights group.
Legislation that came into force in 2016 requires social media companies to store user data on servers located in Russia and provide this data to the authorities on demand. Russia last year issued an order to ban the Telegram messaging app after it refused to provide the user data as required.
Tinder is now required to provide its Russian users’ private messages, audio, video and other material to authorities including the Federal Security Service (FSB), Roskomsvoboda reported Monday.
Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications regulator, said it had added Tinder to its database of compliant websites after it had “provided the needed information.”
Tinder joins three other dating apps, including Russia’s biggest dating app Badoo, that are required to store their Russian users’ data in the country, Roskomsvoboda reported.
Tinder may be unaware that it is compelled under Russian law to share its users' data with the authorities, Roskomsvoboda said, citing a 2017 example when the Threema encrypted messaging app was added to the database.
At the moment, the only tools Russia has to enforce its data rules are fines that typically only come to very small sums or blocking the offending online services, which is an option fraught with technical difficulties.
Russian authorities will gain new powers to block content in November when legislation that seeks to expand Russia's sovereignty over its segment of the web comes into force.
Reuters contributed reporting to this article.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
