Match Group will pay $14 million to settle claims of deceptive business practices

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that Match Group, the parent company of popular dating platforms like Match.com, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, and PlentyOfFish, will pay $14 million to settle a complaint about deceptive business practices. The settlement funds will be used to provide redress to customers who were affected by the company's alleged actions. According to the FTC, Match Group had used misleading advertisements to encourage subscriptions and then made it difficult for customers to cancel those subscriptions. The company was also accused of locking customers out of their accounts when they attempted to dispute billing charges. As part of the settlement, Match Group has agreed to clearly disclose the terms of its "six-month guarantee" and offer simple mechanisms for customers to cancel their subscriptions. The company has also agreed not to retaliate against customers who file billing disputes or deny them access to paid-for services or goods. This settlement comes after an investigation earlier this year that claimed Match Group had failed to act on reports of sexual assault and made little effort to keep abusive or dangerous users from rejoining other dating platforms it owns.