Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

Facebook Dating is finally coming to Europe after privacy concerns delayed launch

Facebook Dating is finally coming to Europe after privacy concerns delayed launch

Facebook (FB) has launched its dating service across 32 European countries after it was delayed for several months because of data privacy concerns.
Facebook Dating was due to launch February 13 but the rollout was postponed after concerns were raised by Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC), which supervises Facebook (FB) because the company's European headquarters are in Dublin.

The regulator said that the US social media company has since provided "detailed clarifications" on how personal data will be processed on the dating feature.

Announcing the launch on Wednesday, Kate Orseth, product manager for the dating service, said the feature will "help more people find meaningful relationships through things they have in common, like interests, events and groups."

It was revealed in February that the DPC was only made aware of the planned launch a few days before Facebook was intending to introduce the service in the European Union.

Officials from the regulator searched Facebook's offices and submitted a number of queries and concerns to the company, Graham Doyle, DPC deputy commissioner, told CNN Business in a statement Thursday.

"Facebook has provided detailed clarifications on the processing of personal data in the context of the Dating feature," he said. "Facebook has also provided details of changes that they have made to the product to take account of the issues raised by the DPC."

The DPC will "continue to monitor the product as it launches across the EU this week," added Doyle.

A spokesman for Facebook told CNN Business there were a number of "changes and clarifications" as a result of discussions with the DPC.

These included changing how users sign up to the service so members recognize Dating is a Facebook product covered by its terms of service and data policy.

Developers made it easier for users to select which pieces of personal information, such as religious beliefs, are displayed on their profiles.

The company also clarified that users must allow location data to be collected during sign up, but can then turn it off, and Dating will display where a user is at a city level, not an exact location.

Special category data - which is personal data that is particularly sensitive - may be collected in the dating feature, but will not be used in the core Facebook product, the Facebook spokesman added.

Facebook Dating launched in the United States in September 2019. Any Facebook user can "opt in" to the service and create a dating profile, which can match users based off of interest, preferences and friend group, if they choose.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×