Tinder Isn't the Only Dating App That Leaves Your Information and Swipes Vulnerable to Hackers

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society. The revelation this week that dating app Tinder lacks basic encryption--meaning someone could discover whose profile you've viewed and which way you're swiping--has sparked some understandable alarm and outrage. The reality is even scarier: It's not a new discovery, and it's not just Tinder. Though Checkmarx, the security company that demonstrated the issue this week, reportedly notified Tinder back in November, Wired reports, its use of HTTP instead of the more secure HTTPS hasn't changed. Users' photos are still fetched via an unencrypted connection, meaning anyone else on the network--say, someone sitting in the same cafe--can intercept them, revealing the swiper's sexual and dating preferences.