SuccessfulMatch.com has its own network of niche dating sites, including Deafs.com, SeniorMatch.com, BikerKiss.com, EquestrianCupid.com, and the mother of all sites: PositiveMatch.com. That last one is for folks with incurable sexually transmitted diseases, such as herpes, HIV/AIDS, and HPV.
That seems to be how the plaintiff’s user profile ended upon subsidiary sites catering to kink, Christians, black people, gay people, and HIV-positive people. And it also seems to be why a California jury just smacked SuccessfulMatch.com with a $16 million verdict, reports BBC News.
According to the lawsuit, PositiveSingles advertised itself as a “100 percent confidential and comfortable community” and stated: “We do not disclose, sell or rent any personally identifiable information to any third-party organizations.”
However, as the plaintiff acknowledged, the site’s terms allowed the company to share data with other sites in the SuccessfulMatch network.
A Canadian government website says that’s exactly what the site formerly did: share individuals profiles across numerous “affiliate” sites, which were basically re-badged versions of the mother network’s site.
Users would see this:
But the sites’ terms included this, along with many other open-ended provisions:
100% Anonymous, Private, Safe & Comfortable…The best, largest, completely anonymous and most trusted online dating site for people with Herpes, HPV, HIV / AIDS, Hepatitis, Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis and other STD in the world….We care about your privacy more than other sites, so you are not required to submit any information you are not comfortable with. All your personal information can be private and anonymous until you want to take things further. Everyone with an STD can join us regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender. Never feel lonely again!
- PROFILE SHARING AND DISTRIBUTION
- Dating Site Has to Pay Up After Sharing Users’ STI Statuses (Slate)
- Woman Wins $900K in eHarmony Herpes Lawsuit (FindLaw’s Injured Blog)
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