With the proliferation of dating apps and the amount of information they have about users, it's no surprise that Facebook, after 14 years of existence, is jumping into the group to help people connect … romantically.
The company announced today at its developer conference F8 2018 that it is launching a dating profile feature, "for real relationships, not for connections," Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the opening stage.
People will be able to create a dating profile separate from their Facebook profile (a small heart icon will take them to their dating profile).
Facebook ensures that the dating profile will not be visible to your Facebook friends, nor will it appear in places like News Feed.
The appointment profiles will only show a name, highlight the interests of the users and have some photos. Only people who use the dating service can see the profiles of other parties.
Dating Privacy
Users can also search for nearby events and groups that include items that interest them, reflecting how many people will be found to date.
Possible romantic coincidences will also be suggested based on their shared interests, commonalities and common friends, says Facebook.
After finding someone who is interested, they will choose a photo of themselves that will act as "conversation initiator". You and the person you have contacted can have a private chat through an inbox that is connected to their profiles and separated from Messenger and WhatsApp.
In addition, the conversation will be text only, for security reasons.
Facebook is not yet ready to launch dating profiles, and says it will share more details as tests begin in a few months. Therefore, dating features will not appear soon on Facebook, although you can wait for them to arrive before too much time passes.
The matchmaker game sheds more light on the amount of personal user data that Facebook has access to. To suggest possible matches for you, Facebook will need information, including where you live, and what and who you are interested in.
Given the recent Cambridge Analytica data scandal, the delivery of more information to Facebook may give some serious pause users.
It is imperative that Facebook keeps dating data safe from its users, and although steps have been taken to address some of its privacy issues in the wake of the scandal, Facebook may still have a lot to prove before users are willing to put your romantic destiny in your hands.
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