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Tag: messages

  • Tinder evolves some features into dating 'modes'

    Tinder evolves some features into dating 'modes'

    In a bid to retain users and increase engagement, Tinder is overhauling some of its existing features into new, redesigned “modes,” in addition to revamping its home screen.

    The app is getting two new modes, Double Date and College Mode — essentially extensions of existing features — alongside a “For You” mode on the home screen that presents the classic Tinder experience. The company said it will add more dating modes that will lean into interests, dating intentions, and different ways to connect.

    Tinder in June launched the Double Date mode, which lets users pair up with a friend and match with other pairs. The feature was limited to certain geographies at launch, and the company is now rolling it out globally. Tinder said that since July, it has seen users being more engaged and sending 25% more messages per match as compared to one-on-one chats.

    Meanwhile, College Mode builds on the existing Tinder U feature, which was introduced in 2018 to let adult students register using their college or university email IDs and find potential matches on their campus or around. Last year, the company updated the feature to let students update their profiles to include details such as graduation year, major, clubs, and Greek life. College Mode now lets students match with others anywhere.

    “Gen Z has been craving easier, low-pressure ways to connect, because what you’re into and how you want to connect can change from day to day. We’ve heard our users loud and clear, and they’re looking for better matches, not just more of them,” Cleo Long, senior director of global product marketing at Tinder, said in a statement.

    Tinder’s parent company Match Group mentioned these dating modes during its Q2 2025 earnings call last month.

    Tinder said that the redesign and Double Date feature are rolling out globally, but College Mode will be available to compatible users later in the fall.

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  • EU\’s Bold Chat Control Bill Aims to Scan Private Messages, Gaining Momentum

    EU\’s Bold Chat Control Bill Aims to Scan Private Messages, Gaining Momentum

    Authored by Amin Haqshanas via CoinTelegraph.com,

    A controversial European Union proposal dubbed “Chat Control” is regaining momentum, with 19 out of 27 EU member states reportedly backing the measure.

    The plan would mandate that messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, must scan every message, photo and video sent by users starting in October, even if end-to-end encryption is in place, popular French tech blogger Korben wrote on Monday.

    Denmark reintroduced the proposal on July 1, the first day of its EU Council presidency. France, once opposed, is now in favor, Korben said, citing Patrick Breyer, a former member of the European Parliament for Germany and the European Pirate Party.

    Belgium, Hungary, Sweden, Italy and Spain are also in favor, while Germany remains undecided. However, if Berlin joins the majority, a qualified council vote could push the plan through by mid-October, Korben said.

    A qualified majority in the EU Council is achieved when two conditions are met. First, at least 55 percent of member states, meaning 15 out of 27, must vote in favor. Second, those countries must represent at least 65% of the EU’s total population.

    EU Chat Control bill finds support. Source: Pavol Luptak

    Pre-encryption scanning on devices

    Instead of weakening encryption, the plan seeks to implement client-side scanning, meaning software embedded in users’ devices that inspects content before it is encrypted.

    “A bit like if the Post Office came to read all your letters in your living room before you put them in the envelope,” Korben said.

    He added that the real target isn’t criminals, who use encrypted or decentralized channels, but ordinary users whose private conversations would now be open to algorithmic scrutiny.

    The proposal cites the prevention of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) as its justification.

    However, it would result in “mass surveillance by means of fully automated real-time surveillance of messaging and chats and the end of privacy of digital correspondence,” Breyer wrote.

    Beyond scanning, the package includes mandatory age verification, effectively removing anonymity from messaging platforms. Digital freedom groups are asking citizens to contact their MEPs, sign petitions and push back before the law becomes irreversible.

    An infographic explaining the proposed EU Chat Control bill. Source: Patrick Breyer

    France faces societal collapse over censorship

    Last month, Telegram founder Pavel Durov warned that France risks societal collapse if it continues down a path of political censorship and regulatory overreach. Durov was arrested in France in August 2024 after being accused of failing to moderate his app to reduce criminality.

    He also alleged that French intelligence officials approached him earlier this year with requests to censor pro-conservative content ahead of the May 2025 Romanian election, a request he says he refused.

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