From Russia With(out) Love: Tinder to leave Russia over human rights concerns

Dating app giant Tinder will leave Russia soon, citing human rights concerns related to Russia's military invasion of Ukraine.

Match Group, which owns the app as well as other dating apps such as Plenty Of Fish and Hinge, has said that it will leave Russia by June 30.

It's move echoes other organisations and companies over the last 14 months, such as Airbnb, Amazon, Nintendo, Spotify, UEFA and Apple, who have all boycotted Russia for similar reasons.

Explaining the company's decision, Match Group said: "We are committed to protecting human rights.

"Our brands are taking steps to restrict access to their services in Russia and will complete their withdrawal from the Russian market by June 30, 2023."

According to Reuters, Match shareholder Friends Fiduciary Corp praised the decision, adding: 'Match has set an example for others to follow in tying its decision to the human rights risks faced by the Ukrainian people.'

The news site Euronews also noted that last Summer, Match has previously come under pressure to store user Russian users’ data and messages in Russia, in compliance with intelligence service requirements.

This has raised concerns that certain users, especially LGBTQ+ users, could see their data shared with the Russian government, which is overwhelmingly anti-LGBTQ+.

When the company declined to do so, it was fined 2 million roubles (around €22,868) by a Moscow district court in a case brought against several platforms including WhatsApp, Snapchat, Spotify and Hotels.com.