If you have not heard, Facebook is getting into the scene of the dating application. Soon it will allow users to opt for an experience similar to Tinder that allows them to explore other profiles with photos and names. Citation application executives took the opportunity to criticize Facebook for its history of data privacy practices and for allowing Russia to meddle in US elections.
Joey Levin is the CEO of IAC, the company that owns a majority stake in Match Group (which in turn owns Tinder, OkCupid, Match and PlentyofFish). He responded to the news with a very direct mockery: "Go ahead, the water is hot, your product could be ideal for relations between the US and Russia."
Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of Match Group, gave a more measured response, albeit with a direct reference to Facebook's Cambridge Analytica data leak: "We are flattered that Facebook is entering our space, and sees the global opportunity that we have, as Tinder continues to fire, we are surprised at the moment given the amount of personal and confidential data that comes with this territory. "
Ginsberg continued, "Independently, we will continue to delight our users through product innovation and relentless focus on the success of the relationship … We understand this category better than anyone else Facebook's entry will only strengthen us everybody ". In other words, they try to affirm that they do not see Facebook as a threat, but rather as an incentive to add better product features.
Even so, the announcement coming out of Facebook's annual developer conference caused Match's stock price to fall more than 20 percent to $ 36.71 during trading hours, at the time of writing this.