Match Group

In January 2026, Match Group settled a class action for $60.5 million over age-based pricing that charged users 30+ nearly double ($19.99 vs $9.99/month) for Tinder Plus since 2015. The California Court of Appeal ruled in 2018 it was an 'arbitrary, class-based generalization.' The practice continued for a decade while litigation proceeded, affecting ~268,000 California users.

In December 2025, six survivors filed a lawsuit against Match Group after Stephen Matthews (later sentenced to 158 years) remained active on Hinge and Tinder despite being reported for sexual assault in September 2020. One survivor was told Matthews was 'permanently banned' but he was later promoted as a 'Standout' match to other users.

In October 2025, Match Group rolled out mandatory facial liveness verification for new Tinder users in the US. Early results showed 60%+ decrease in bad actors and 40%+ decrease in harmful behavior reports. The system uses privacy-preserving design where verification videos are deleted after processing.

In August 2025, Match Group settled FTC charges for $14 million. The FTC alleged Match sent notifications from fraud-flagged accounts (90% confirmed fraudulent) to induce subscriptions, with ~500,000 subscriptions purchased within 24 hours of misleading emails. Internal documents described the cancellation process as 'hard to find, tedious, and confusing...over 6 clicks.'

An 18-month investigation by The Markup, The Guardian, and The 19th revealed Match Group's internal 'Sentinel' database tracked hundreds of assault reports weekly since 2019, yet banned users could rejoin without changing their name, birthday, or photos. A promised 2020 transparency report was never released, and Congressional requests from 11 members were ignored since 2020. The company dismantled its central Trust & Safety team in 2024, outsourcing to overseas contractors.

In February 2024, a class action alleged Match Group apps use 'dopamine-manipulating' features prioritizing engagement over successful relationships. Research found dating app users had 2.51x higher psychological distress and 1.91x higher depression. The lawsuit cited algorithms that stagger matches using intermittent variable reinforcement (slot machine mechanics), ELO desirability scores giving top 10-20% of users ~50% of matches, and shadow banning without notification.