It has never been so difficult to find your new love: Because of Corona, many celebrations are forbidden, clubs are closed, you don’t get closer in the gym, people keep their distance. On the other hand, it has never been so easy to find your new love: online dating services have conquered a wide range of subscribers in recent years. 4.7 million users in Germany are currently registered in dating sites, another 2 million use flirt chats in adult portals and 1.2 million are looking for a new love with the help of online dating agencies, as the Statista portal published in August.

The types of online dating are not fruitless: Almost every second user (47 percent) has already met a steady partner or an erotic contact through these services, as the digital association Bitkom determined.

But: consumer advice centers warn against unfair business practices, especially with erotic portals, in which flirt chats and erotic Fantasies are in the foreground, as well as in dating sites in which the participants create profiles and not only look for contacts for erotic interests. 187 Portals obviously use fake accounts, controlled by employees, such as the Bavarian Consumer Agency 2017 warned. The list of black sheep is still largely up-to-date today.

The fake profiles are intended to encourage users of dating services to take part in promotions that are subject to a fee. They are therefore legally tenable because the services explicitly mention them in their terms and conditions, albeit with disguised terms. There is talk of “moderated services” or the “use of moderators” where one should actually speak of animators. Operators grant themselves the right to “send messages to users on behalf of other customers” or to create profiles themselves and have them operated “by so-called CUser” or “Controller”.

The market watchdogs found in the terms and conditions admissions that a male moderator could also play a female profile or even that it can be assumed that “all female profiles are fictitious profiles”.

With business models of this kind, it is hardly surprising that in individual cases even the use of flirting bots has leaked. After a data breach, a journalist was able to prove to the page Anchor mediator Ashley Madison 2015 as bots supposedly interested women represented, thousands of times men and becircten pushed for more expensive memberships. 2016 the company had to officially admit this scam. It would fit in with the general terms and conditions of many other erotic portals to also use flirt bots.

Real partners mediated Only a handful of online dating service providers have the highest turnover in online dating today. 73, this division should 2020, as Statista determined. On these platforms, the participants first undergo a personality test in the registration process before they can create a profile. When searching for a partner, users are dependent on suggestions from the platform.

In contrast to dating sites and erotic portals, dating agencies offer subscription models without exception. Consumer advocates have not yet recorded any noteworthy complaints about fake accounts on these platforms. Problems arise with the providers Parship, LemonSwan, ElitePartner and eDarling elsewhere. On the one hand, the platforms only require a subscription to be made after the interested parties have completed their personality test and created their profile. This creates free accounts that lead other users to believe that there is a large pool of partner seekers.

Another problem lies in the market power of the few remaining providers in this sector. Today, three out of four platforms no longer offer three-month subscriptions, and those looking for a partner have to commit themselves for at least six months. In addition, the prices are rising: In the period from August to October, for example, Parship and ElitePartner have their subscription list prices significantly increased by 6 to 10 Euro increased.

Revocation cannot be ruled out Given their business model, the online matchmakers seem to have a problem with the right of withdrawal. In order for the user to be able to contact partner suggestions immediately after the conclusion of the contract, he must first agree to pay compensation for services rendered in the event of a cancellation. The fact that the compensation calculated in an emergency can reach surprising proportions has already preoccupied some courts and led to a groundbreaking judgment of the ECJ a few weeks ago, which made such a claim by Parship about 392, 96 euros reduced to just under 6 euros.

Despite all the problems, the online dating agencies have now found their friends in a wide variety of age groups, the years between 30 and 59 are fairly evenly represented according to the operator. The participants can flirt in a protected area before arranging a meeting in real life – a good option especially in times of Corona.

c’t 24 / 2020 This article comes from c’t 24 / 2020. In it, the c’t editors provide detailed PC purchase advice and building suggestions for the optimal PC. She has tested partner exchanges and reveals the tricks of Parship & Co. as well as the security gap in the IVENA online rescue system. c’t 24 / 2020 is now available in the Heise shop and at the well-stocked magazine kiosk.

( agr)