Facebook Dating launched in Europe after a February delay

Facebook Dating, Tinder’s social media competitor and other dating apps, launched today in Europe long after the planned first appearance on Valentine’s Day.

The dating service offers the same features as in Europe As in the United States, By using the existing Facebook profile you created to find potential matches. Facebook designs these matches with your preferences, Facebook activity, groups and events if you sign up.

While the service still only appears as a tab in the Facebook mobile app, it is fully integrated with the rest of the social giant’s products. Your profile can pull stories and photos from Instagram, you can initiate Messenger video calls from chats, and the dazzling Secret Crush feature searches both Instagram followers and Facebook friends for potential matches.

Facebook is promoting the privacy features of the service, with many completely optional personal matching methods. But the close association between Facebook Dating and the rest of the company’s products has raised concerns in the past. Back in FebruaryIn, Facebook chose to postpone the launch of the service after organizers in Ireland objected to the timing of the planned launch. Companies launching such products must undergo a review called a Data Processing Impact Assessment (DPIA) under the protection of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and Facebook is said to have notified regulators too late of its plans, raising concerns about compliance with data privacy.

With the issue settled, Facebook Dating is now offered in more than 50 countries, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania. , Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.