Mozilla Foundation: 'Tinder’s Opaque, Unfair Pricing Algorithm Can Charge Users Up to Five-Times More for Same Service'
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Link: https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/new-research-tinders-opaque-unfair-pricing-algorithm-can-charge-users-up-to-five-times-more-for-same-service/

Mozilla, in a report issued three weeks ago:

  > Tinder Plus users around the world must engage with an opaque and
  > unfair personalized pricing algorithm, according to new research
  > by Mozilla and Consumers International.
  >
  > The research -- which spanned five continents -- reveals that
  > within a single country, consumers can be quoted up to 31 unique
  > price points for a Tinder Plus subscription. Further, some people
  > are charged up to five times more for the exact same service: In
  > the Netherlands, prices ranged from $4.45 to $25.95. In the U.S.,
  > they ranged from $4.99 to $26.99.
  >
  > Consumers International and Mozilla also determined that Tinder’s
  > personalized pricing algorithm can charge older users more money.
  > On average across the six countries investigated, 30-49 year-olds
  > were charged 65.3% more than 18-29 year-olds. This is occurring
  > even after Tinder [faced a $24 million lawsuit for unfair pricing
  > based on age][mz1] in California.

[Florian Mueller, writing at FOSS Patents][foss]:

  > Who is hurting consumers more:
  >
  > 1. a dating-app maker that *clandestinely* charges some of its
  >    users *up to five times more* for the same service than it
  >    charges others; or
  >
  > 2. a smartphone operating system maker that *transparently and
  >    consistently* imposes a 30% tax on payments in dating apps (and
  >    roughly the same for out-of-app payments)?
  >
  > Sorry to say so: even a vocal App Store critic like me can't
  > possibly answer the question with "Apple."


[foss]: http://www.fosspatents.com/2022/02/tinder-pricing-scandal-dutch-regulator.html

[mz1]: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/tinders-24-million-deal-to-end-age-discrimination-suit-undone



★ Tuesday, 1 March 2022
By John Gruber  
https://daringfireball.net/linked/2022/03/01/mozilla-on-tinder-pricing