Dating apps present themselves as tools for connection. Yet too often they operate through opaque ranking, profiling, and monetisation systems that users cannot properly verify.

We are not simply talking about poor service. It is a structural misalignment of incentives and conflict of interest. When a platform profits from prolonged engagement, monthly plans, and paid boosts, users are led to ask whether the system is designed to help them build meaningful connections, or to keep them searching, paying, and even doubting themselves to be unworthy of love for as long as possible.

People looking for love should not have to navigate a black box. They should not be forced to guess why their profile is barely shown, whether visibility is being restricted, or whether potentially compatible profiles are  placed behind paywalls.

This is not just a dating issue. It is a transparency, consumer protection, and digital fairness issue.

We therefore call on the European Commission, the European Parliament, and national consumer authorities to introduce clear, enforceable rules for dating apps operating in the European Union.

At a minimum, these rules should include:

• Mandatory account verification options to reduce fake or misleading profiles while respecting privacy.
• User analytics showing profile visibility, impressions, or other meaningful exposure metrics.
• Clear disclosure of the main parameters used to rank, recommend, and prioritise profiles, including the role of activity, payment, profiling, and recency.
• A ban on manipulating account visibility through payment.
• Effective complaint and audit mechanisms for users who believe ranking or visibility systems are unfair or misleading.
• Human connection must not be turned into a marketplace designed to exploit our need for love.

Europe has the opportunity to lead on digital fairness. It should use it.

STOP MONETISING LONELINESS.

Sign this petition and demand transparency, accountability, and fairness in dating apps across Europe.

This petition is part of a wider struggle against enshittification: the inevitable process by which digital platforms become worse for users while becoming more profitable for the companies behind them. This concern has already reached the public policy sphere. In 2026, the Norwegian Consumer Council backed a public campaign on enshittification with a dedicated video and an extensive report, showing that this is not an isolated frustration but a recognised consumer protection issue.

Watch the video to know more.​

Or view the full report, dating apps are explicitly mentioned.