6 Popular Dating Apps Found To Have Privacy Bugs Exposing Users' Locations

According to engadget, Belgium researchers from the country's KU Leuven University found that the bug exposes users' approximate location using the trilateration technique.

Trilateration is a GPS-powered technique that measures distances from known points and locations to determine a person's location.

The research paper exposed how dating apps can take advantage of the trilateration technique. 

The researchers were able to reach "exact distance trilateration" that showed a user's location within a 111 x 111m area. This method uses precisely measured distances from multiple points like satellites to calculate the exact location, with no rounding or simplification.

Meanwhile, the researchers categorised Happn under "rounded distance trilateration". Approximated or simplified distances are used for this method to determine location, making calculations easier but slightly less accurate.

On the other hand, Hinge, Bumble, Badoo, and Hily were categorised under "oracle trilateration". This is an error-free method to measure distances to determine location.

GPS uses signals from satellites to calculate distances and determines your location by finding where these distances overlap, even if the distances are rounded for simplicity. In other words, all six apps were capable of revealing the users' locations to some extent. 

This means that they can closely track their victims by using profile images and nearby photos.

All six dating apps claimed that they have either addressed the issue or downplayed its severity.

Bumble, for instance, said that it had resolved the issue with its distance filter in 2023. Hily, on the other hand, said exploiting the app was impractical. Happn states that the app comes with additional security layers that were not accounted for in the research.

Meanwhile, Grindr said that users have the option to toggle their profile locations on or off. Hinge has yet to comment on the matter.