Subj : Privacy flaw in top dating apps could have revealed user location
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Sat Aug 03 2024 12:30:05

Privacy flaw in top dating apps could have revealed user location down to 2 
metres

Date:
Sat, 03 Aug 2024 11:17:10 +0000

Description:
Researchers found oracle trilateration could be used by on apps such as 
Bumble and Hinge to locate a victims precise location.

FULL STORY
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Researchers have identified a loophole which allowed for trilateration in 
popular dating apps including Bumble, Hinge, Grindr, Happn, Badoo, and Hily. 

The team from Belgium's KU Leuven University specifically used a technique 
known as oracle trilateration to pinpoint a users location down to two 
metres. This took a profiles displayed location as a rough estimate, then by 
moving incrementally away in three different directions until the profile is 
out of range, revealed the exact location. 

Trilateration is a technique used to determine an exact location using three 
points to gauge the distance to the object, then calculating the intersection 
to find the target location. Dating app risks 

Sensitive information being available to potentially malicious actors poses a 
threat to app users on multiple levels, researcher Karel Dhondt explained. 

Given that it's related to dating, which really gets to people's emotions and 
feelings, any privacy leaks or dangers are really exacerbated," Dhondt said, 
If people are hurt, they may want to hurt back. That's why it's important 
that people's privacy and safety is well-maintained by these apps. 

Researchers also uncovered API (Application Programming Interface) leaks that 
could reveal personal data to an attacker, especially sensitive information 
such as users likes or preferences. All 15 apps studied were found to have 
some form of API leak. A feature or a bug? 

Most of the apps studied have since closed the gap and corrected this glitch 
by rounding the coordinates up by three decimal places to make them less 
precise. Grindr has allowed location sharing up to 111 metres, and explained 
that their location sharing practices are deliberate. 

For many of our users, Grindr is their only form of connection to the LGBTQ+ 
community, and the proximity Grindr offers to this community is paramount in 
providing the ability to interact with those closest to them, Grindrs Chief 
privacy officer Kelly Peterson Miranda stated. 

It is worth noting that in countries where homoesexual activity is illegal, 
this practice could prove to be particularly serious. Grindr insists that 
users are in control of the location information they provide. 

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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/privacy-flaw-in-top-dating-apps-could-have-revea
led-user-location-down-to-2-metres


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