NOYB Files Complaint Against Bumble Over AI Consent

NOYB (None of Your Business) announced in a statement on Thursday, June 26th, that it has filed a complaint against Bumble with the Austrian data protection authority, the Datenschutzbehörde (DSB), the Austrian equivalent of the French Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés (CNIL).

The Austrian non-governmental organization, which advocates for online privacy, accuses the American dating app of deploying an artificial intelligence (AI) tool without complying with European obligations regarding user consent.

A specific section of the platform is at the heart of the complaint: Bumble for Friends (BFF), which allows users to make platonic connections. NOYB points out that it was in this part of the app that Bumble launched AI Icebreakers in December 2023. Using ChatGPT, the conversational AI from OpenAI, this tool offers pre-written phrases to “break the ice” with the other person. To do this, the AI draws on publicly available information from the profiles of the individuals involved, such as age, profession, or city of residence.

However, for this tool to function, this personal data must be sent to OpenAI’s servers. NOYB believes that Bumble is failing to meet its obligations here: the NGO argues that user consent is never obtained in the required manner, meaning it is not “free, specific, informed, and unambiguous,” as required by the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Within the app, a banner explaining how the tool works is displayed, but only with an “OK” button or a cancellation cross. NOYB considers this a “false” consent banner, which reappears until the user finally clicks the button.

“Bumble imposes its AI tools on millions of European users without ever asking for their consent. On the contrary, their personal data is sent to OpenAI, where it feeds the company’s AI systems,” says Lisa Steinfeld, a lawyer at NOYB, in the statement. She continues: “The dating app is so desperate not to miss the AI trend that it is trampling on the fundamental rights of its users.” Bumble had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

By Le Monde

---

Enjoyed this post by Thibault Helle? Subscribe for more insights and updates straight from the source.