Noyb Sues Dating App Bumble in Austria for GDPR Violations
Online dating platform Bumble's "AI Icebreakers" app allows OpenAI to access users' personal profile data without consent and send it to feed OpenAI's AI systems, Austrian privacy rights organization Noyb alleged Thursday.
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Bumble introduced AI Icebreakers to the "Bumble for Friends" part of its app in December 2023, Noyb noted. The app lets OpenAI access peoples' personal profile data to AI-generate an opening message based on information people have shared on the platform.
Bumble is forcing its AI features on Europeans without seeking their consent, Noyb said in a complaint filed with the Austrian Data Protection Authority. It alleges that Bumble breached its transparency obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation by failing to give information about the processing related to the Icebreaker feature and by confusing users with a "fake" consent banner.
The company also lacks a legal basis for processing the data because it can't legally claim to base it on legitimate interest and hasn't sought consent, the organization added.