UK Wedding News
29/07/2013
It is thought the methods are designed to entice single customers into paying to find love. In addition, investigators also discovered some matchmaking websites were buying the personal data of its members to boost the number of people appearing to be using their services, and ultimately helping attract more customers.
Following an investigation by BBC Panorama, the Information Commissioner's Office has now said it will look into the industry due to concerns it is breaching data protection laws.
Investigators for BBC Panorama bought the data of 10,000 people from a company called Usdate. The profiles included photographs, lists of names, email addresses, sexual orientation and dates of birth. While some details were fake – such as profile pictures of Brad Pitt and Michael Caine – others were real, including the email addresses of the life peer, academics and BBC staff.
All have denied using a dating website.
Simon Entwisle, director of operations at the Information Commissioner's Office, is quoted as saying: "It's appalling that people's photographs are being used against a completely different set of personal details.
"What concerns me more than anything is the scale of this. It's not just an odd incident, it seems to me to be a matter of course and routine. And that gives me even greater cause for concern."
Globally, the internet dating industry is thought to be worth £2.5bn a year, with an estimated 1,500 dating websites in the UK alone.
Last year, around 5.7million people in Britain used matchmaking sites.
Panorama started its investigation after complaints were raised from customers who went onto sites as free users and attracted a lot of interest from potential dates. They then paid for subscriptions to gain access to contact details, only to discover that interest in their profiles quickly vanished.
Investigators spoke to whistleblowers who admitted creating fake accounts to lure in potential customers.
Panorama – Tainted Love: Secrets Of Online Dating will be shown tonight 29 July at 8.30pm on BBC1.
(JP/CD)
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Internet Dating Firms 'Use Fake Profiles'
It has been reported that internet dating firms are using the details of real people – without their permission – in order to create fake profiles on their websites.It is thought the methods are designed to entice single customers into paying to find love. In addition, investigators also discovered some matchmaking websites were buying the personal data of its members to boost the number of people appearing to be using their services, and ultimately helping attract more customers.
Following an investigation by BBC Panorama, the Information Commissioner's Office has now said it will look into the industry due to concerns it is breaching data protection laws.
Investigators for BBC Panorama bought the data of 10,000 people from a company called Usdate. The profiles included photographs, lists of names, email addresses, sexual orientation and dates of birth. While some details were fake – such as profile pictures of Brad Pitt and Michael Caine – others were real, including the email addresses of the life peer, academics and BBC staff.
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All have denied using a dating website.
Simon Entwisle, director of operations at the Information Commissioner's Office, is quoted as saying: "It's appalling that people's photographs are being used against a completely different set of personal details.
"What concerns me more than anything is the scale of this. It's not just an odd incident, it seems to me to be a matter of course and routine. And that gives me even greater cause for concern."
Globally, the internet dating industry is thought to be worth £2.5bn a year, with an estimated 1,500 dating websites in the UK alone.
Last year, around 5.7million people in Britain used matchmaking sites.
Panorama started its investigation after complaints were raised from customers who went onto sites as free users and attracted a lot of interest from potential dates. They then paid for subscriptions to gain access to contact details, only to discover that interest in their profiles quickly vanished.
Investigators spoke to whistleblowers who admitted creating fake accounts to lure in potential customers.
Panorama – Tainted Love: Secrets Of Online Dating will be shown tonight 29 July at 8.30pm on BBC1.
(JP/CD)
Top stories
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Lydia Bright Gets Candid About Giving Birth
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Angelica Ross Learns Of Boyfriend's Secret Life
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Susanna Reid's Mother's Day Plans
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