By Tejasi Panjiar, Shivangani Misra, Capstone Fellows at Internet Freedom Foundation
Social media and networking sites have almost become an indispensable part of the younger generation’s lives. So much so that sharing private life online has become the norm. During COVID-19, multiple dating applications and social media platforms confirmed substantial user growth, an increase in daily active users, and screen time during the pandemic.
While digital technologies are a blessing in disguise in these socially-distant times, it is also a double-edged sword as maximum users are unaware of the risks and dangers of sharing personal information on social media. This makes them vulnerable to cyber-attacks like blackmailing, viruses, phishing attacks, identity theft, etc.
Hence, on this Safer Internet Day, as people try to find solace online, we highlight the potential privacy and security risks users are inadvertently swiping into and how digital rights can help!
Anonymity On Online Dating Profiles
Staying anonymous on the internet has benefits, but not necessarily for online dating profiles.
Research shows some users may get rejected by a potential suitor if they feel they didn’t get any ‘useful information’ from the profile. To get a match, people often share their personal details like pictures, name, age, gender, location, sexual orientation, likes, dislikes, etc.
While it may increase the chances of finding a partner, it’s proven to be not the best safe internet practice. A security flaw in the popular dating app Bumble left users’ location data, profile pictures and other data exposed for over six months. Similarly, a Norwegian consumer group informed that dating apps like Tinder, Grindr and OkCupid leaked users’ personal information to advertising tech companies.
Such instances are a gross violation of the Right to Privacy guaranteed to Indian citizens after the Supreme Court judgement in the Puttaswamy case. It leaves users, especially from marginalised communities, vulnerable to online stalking, harassment, abuse and threats to physical security. Secondly, dating and matrimonial sites also store user data.
As per the Data Protection Bill, 2021, personal and sensitive personal data can be processed only upon receiving valid and explicit user consent, wherein the user should know why their data is being processed. Hence, to strengthen users’ online privacy, these platforms must process the data responsibly. (To better understand data privacy on dating and matrimonial platforms, read IFF’s post here.)
The Texts You Send Online… Are They Protected?
In addition to user consent, dating platforms also need to ensure that user privacy and free speech rights are not violated. This happens when such platforms don’t implement end-to-end encryption of messages. This form of encryption protects a user’s texts from being snooped on by strangers, the government or even the platform itself. The messages remain only between the sender and the receiver.
However, texts sent by users on platforms like Tinder are only secure at the server level and not end-to-end encrypted, allowing data breaches and third-party access. In light of rising instances of cybercrimes, it’s the company’s responsibility to ensure that private communication between its users is protected.
However, actions taken by dating platforms alone will not protect user privacy as people often move their talks to platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram.
But according to the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, social media companies will have to break end-to-end encryption if requested by a court of competent jurisdiction or authority. This move is highly problematic as any weakening of encryption standards risks exposure of personal data and subsequent misuse by malicious hackers and organised criminals.
Furthermore, not only are online private conversations being monitored but they are also being moderated and censored. As online networking platforms face pressure to take down discriminatory content, they have adopted artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to automate decision-making processes regarding content removals. Though this technology marks a turning point in the fight against an increasing volume of hate speech and malicious content, it has many limitations.
Lack of nuanced analysis often leads to misinterpretation of the speaker’s intent, and thus, amplification of unfair bias. For instance, analysis by Internet Lab revealed that these technologies fail to decipher the context of specific contents wherein marginalised communities reclaim the words/ phrases used to harass them.
That means that regardless of context, words such as “gay”, “lesbian”, and “queer”, which should be neutral, are deemed as significantly “toxic”, which reflects biases in technological tools. Without adequate safeguards, large-scale adoption of such technologies may result in overbroad censorship.
Moreover, given the growth in demand for greater due process and transparency in content moderation, the social media platforms must incorporate the Santa Clara Principles On Transparency and Accountability in Content Moderation to their letter and spirit. These principles are essentially recommendations on how best to obtain meaningful transparency and accountability around internet platforms’ increasingly aggressive moderation of user-generated content.
These recommendations aim to ensure that the enforcement of the content guidelines is fair, unbiased, proportional, and respectful of users’ rights.
Lastly, despite most social media sites having privacy settings aimed at building a safe and secure environment, awareness of privacy-related issues is less than desirable. These risks are heightened on dating apps as, unlike other social media platforms, people here often share more intimate details like sexual orientation and caste.
The reason behind the disclosure of certain personal information online could be because the benefits of doing so trump the apparent invisible dangers. Further, the understanding of ‘privacy’ itself will continue to evolve as technology becomes increasingly pervasive and capable of capturing more personal data. We believe that increased technology adoption has an immense value that can be properly harnessed within a robust privacy framework.