Bumble drops Facebook login requirement from its registration process
What's the story
Women-first dating app Bumble will no longer require users to login via their Facebook accounts. It has changed its login system to allow users to register on the app by using only their phone numbers for verification and entirely bypassing the requirement of sharing information with Facebook. While other dating apps also allow phone number registration, Bumble claims they "still share data with Facebook."
Context
Bumble rethinking its relationship with Facebook
This comes after the recently revealed Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal that highlighted how the data of 87 million users was exploited due to Facebook's lax policies regarding data collection by third-party apps. To that end, CEO Mark Zuckerberg also faced questions from almost 100 US lawmakers in nearly 10 hours of public testimony last week.
Quote
Bumble users became wary of sharing data with Facebook
"Many of our users and prospective users asked for an alternative registration method. As always, empowering our users to make connections is our number one priority and we wanted to continue to ensure our users felt safe while doing this," Bumble VP Louise Troen said.
Background
Facebook always been a pre-requisite for signing up on Bumble
Bumble has long used Facebook as an integral part of its registration and login process. Besides simplifying and speeding up sign-ups, Bumble used Facebook to import user data like name, age, school or occupation, and photos to automatically build their basic profiles. It could also access information like "friends list, relationship status, current location and friends you have in common with other Bumblers."
Information
Bumble used Facebook info to match users
Bumble also used user information on Facebook like friends, photos and "likes" to showcase potential partners with similar interests who might have higher chances of getting matched. Bumble currently has over 30 million users.