Jack'd is a location-based chat and dating app catering to gay and bisexual men. It is available for Android, iPhone, and Windows phones.[1] Jack'd was previously owned by Online Buddies, owner of Manhunt. In 2019, Perry Street Software, the parent company of Scruff, bought Jack’d for an undisclosed sum.[2]

Jack'd
Developer(s)Perry Street Software
Initial release2010; 14 years ago (2010)
Operating systemiOS, Android, Windows Phone
Websitejackd.mobi

Controversies edit

On June 13, 2016, the Los Angeles Times reported that Omar Mateen was a Jack'd user for at least a year prior to the Orlando nightclub shooting in which he killed 49 people and wounded 53 others.[3] Jack'd was not able to substantiate those claims.[4]

On February 5, 2019, technology news outlet The Register reported a security flaw in the app in which users' private photos could be publicly viewed by anybody aware of the flaw. On February 7, 2019, Jack'd fixed the bug.[5] On June 28, 2019, the Office of the Attorney General of New York announced that Online Buddies, Inc. will pay the state $240,000 to settle the privacy complaint and that the company would implement a "comprehensive security program" to prevent similar incidents in the future. In a statement, New York State Attorney General Letitia James said, “[Jack'd] put users’ sensitive information and private photos at risk of exposure and [Online Buddies] didn't do anything about it for a full year just so they could continue to make a profit.”[6][7]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "What is Jack'd? Here's a look at the gay dating app". 12NEWS.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  2. ^ Montgomery, Blake (July 9, 2019). "Scruff Acquires Jack'd, The Dating App That Exposed Users' Nudes". The Daily Beast. IAC. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  3. ^ Hennessy-Fiske, Molly; Jarvie, Jenny; Wilber, Del Quentin (13 June 2016). "Orlando gunman had used gay dating app and visited LGBT nightclub on other occasions, witnesses say". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  4. ^ Weise, Elizabeth (14 June 2016). "Jack'd app says it has no record of Mateen". USA Today. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  5. ^ Shaun Nichols (February 5, 2019). "Hi, Jack'd: A little PSA for anyone using this dating-hook-up app... Anyone can slurp your private, public snaps". The Register. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  6. ^ Robertson, Adi (2019-06-28). "Gay dating app Jack'd settles complaint over exposing private photos". The Verge. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  7. ^ "Attorney General James Announces Settlement With Dating App For Failure To Secure Private And Nude Photos". Attorney General of New York. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2020.