Dating app OkCupid shared nearly 3 million user photos with AI company Clarifai in 2014 without user consent or formal agreement. The photos, along with location and demographic data, were handed over by co-founder Maxwell Krohn after a direct request from Clarifai founder Matthew Zeiler. This violated OkCupid's own privacy policy, which explicitly promised not to share personal data with unconnected third parties.

The Federal Trade Commission opened an investigation in 2019, but the case wasn't resolved until this month. The settlement requires Match Group, OkCupid's parent company, to delete the photos and AI model generated from them. Additionally, Match Group is banned from misrepresenting its data practices for the next 20 years. The FTC lacks authority to impose financial penalties for this type of privacy violation.

This decade-long privacy breach highlights the casual approach some tech companies took toward user data in the early days of AI development. While the data has been deleted and restrictions placed on Match Group, the incident serves as a stark reminder of how easily personal information can be misused when proper safeguards aren't in place.