Check: 30 criteria — one “Reliable”
The Nadiyno.org team published a large-scale audit of the five most popular dating apps in Ukraine — Boo, Bumble, Kismia, Pure and Tinder. Experts evaluated technical protection, privacy policies and interaction safety across 30 criteria. The result is simple and alarming: only one service received a “Reliable” rating.
"None of the five apps support basic account protection features, in particular two-factor authentication or the ability to remotely end a session. In three of them hiding age and geolocation is available only by subscription."
— Nadiyno.org team, app security researchers
What exactly is worrying
Among the key risks are the lack of two-factor authentication, the inability to end sessions remotely, and paid access to privacy features. In some services (Tinder, Bumble, Kismia) hiding age or geolocation is not a basic option but a paid service. In the Ukrainian Kismia geolocation can effectively be "purchased." Bumble, according to the study, collects up to 27 types of data and shares 12 of them with third parties.
This is not an abstract problem: according to Rakuten Viber (2025), 67% of Ukrainians met their partner online. When dating moves into real life, the risks turn into real losses of privacy and security.
Why this matters specifically for Ukraine
Location data, habits and photos can be used for more than advertising. For military personnel, volunteers and people who work near the front, information leaks are a direct physical threat. Tinder's location accuracy previously allowed tracking a person to within 10–20 meters — a case that illustrates how dangerous technical flaws can be.
Additionally, only two of the five apps (Tinder and Kismia) provide safety instructions in Ukrainian — clearly insufficient in a country where online dating has become routine for millions.
What to do right now
For users: limit access to geolocation, do not show exact whereabouts, do not post sensitive photos, check permissions in your phone settings, use unique passwords and password managers. It's also important to respond to the security prompt: if an app does not offer 2FA or if privacy features are behind a paywall, treat it with caution.
For developers and regulators: the audit showed that minimum security standards are needed — mandatory two-factor authentication, an option to remotely end sessions, transparent data-sharing policies and safety instructions in Ukrainian. This is not only a technical issue — it is a matter of national security.
Conclusion
Dating services have become part of everyday life. When 67% of relationships start online, technical gaps become systemic risks. Whether this is enough to force developers and regulators to raise standards is a question we expect an answer to in the near future.
