The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South The Platform Question: Power, Accountability and Global South 33. Edvardas Mikalauskas, ‘Popular Dating App Leak Puts Millions of Women at Risk’ (Cybernews, 6 March 2020) <https://cybernews.com/security/popular-dating-app-leak-puts-millions-of-women-at-risk/> accessed 17 August 2025. 34. ibid. 35. The police used messages expressing “I like you” as evidence of queerness. See Matt Burgess, ‘How Police Abuse Phone Data to Persecute LGBTQ People’ Wired (7 March 2022) <https://www.wired.com/story/lgbtq-phone-data-police/> accessed 11 October 2025. 36. Krishnadas Rajagopal, ‘SC Decriminalises Homosexuality, Says History Owes LGBTQ Community an Apology’ The Hindu (6 September 2018) <https://www. thehindu.com/news/national/sc-de-criminalises-homosexuality-says-history-owes-lgbtq-community-an-apology/article61535787.ece> accessed 3 September 2025. 37. ‘Dating App Scam Targets Queer Men’ The Times of India (Pune, 2 March 2025) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/dating-app-scam-targets-queer-men/articleshow/118666385.cms> accessed 3 September 2025. 38. Ankita Garg, ‘What Is Bulli Bai App, What Is Its Link to Sulli Deals, and How GitHub Is Involved: Story in 10 Points’ India Today (10 January 2022) <https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/features/story/what-is-bulli-baiapp-what-is-its-link-to-sulli-deals-and-how-github-is-involved-story-in-10points-1898365-2022-01-10> accessed 27 August 2025. 39. Quratulain Rehbar and Pallavi Pundir, ‘Muslim Women Were “Auctioned Like Cattle” on a Hate Site’ [2021] VICE <https://www.vice.com/en/article/muslim-women-islamophobia-hate-app-india/> accessed 7 August 2025. 40. Arbab Ali and Nadeem Sarwar, ‘Muzz, the World’s Largest Muslim Dating App, Is Struggling in India’ (Rest of World, 24 April 2023) <https://restofworld. org/2023/muzz-dating-app-muzmatch-growth-slows/> accessed 27 August 2025. 41. It must be noted that both Aisle and Quack Quack will have to alter their privacy policies as the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 comes into force, including ensuring free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous consent from the data principal. They will have to establish mechanisms enabling ease of withdrawing consent for processing of personal data, deletion and erasure rights to data principals, and notification protocols on breach of personal data. 42. Aisle collects sensitive personal information, including “interests, philosophy, age, height, religion, ethnicity, place of residence.” See Privacy Policy <https://app.aisle.co/mobile/privacy_policy> accessed 11 October 2025. choose to provide us may be considered ‘special’ or ‘sensitive’ in certain jurisdictions, for example your racial or ethnic origins, sexual orientation and religious beliefs.” It also collects,“information on device sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes and compasses.” See QuackQuack.in Privacy Policy <https://www. quackquack.in/privacypolicy/> accessed 11 October 2025. 44. Aisle takes user consent at the time of registration to process profile information, partner preferences, photographs, work and interests, geolocation, among others. However, it doesn’t ask for explicit informed consent for processing specific information (other than geolocation) after registration. It appears that users have to mandatorily grant consent to processing all such information (including sensitive personal information) to be able to create an account on the platform. 45. Quack Quack’s Privacy Policy notes that “Some of the information you choose to provide us may be considered ‘special’ or ‘sensitive’ in certain jurisdictions… by choosing to provide this information, you consent to our processing of that information.” It neither asks for explicit user content to process sensitive personal information, nor limits the purpose of such processing. 46. It is worth noting that once you grant Quack Quack permission to collect geolocation information, it may continue to collect the information in the background even when you are not using these services (through various means including GPS, Bluetooth and Wifi Connections). 47. The Privacy Policy states that, “you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time for processing your location.” This can presumably be done through device access controls. However, withdrawing consent will hamper the platform’s functionality as sharing geolocation information is “necessary to see which other users of Aisle are nearby at any given moment.” Aisle’s Privacy Policy does not elaborate on the process to withdraw consent for processing of other kinds of personal or sensitive personal information. 48. Quack Quack’s Privacy Policy mentions three legal bases for processing user data including, “providing services to you”, “legitimate interest” and “consent.” It appears to cover most data processing under the first two categories, and does not clarify what kind of user data is only processed and collected upon user consent. It is also not clear whether users can withdraw consent for processing of specific pieces of information that the platform may consider necessary to provide services. It just states, “From time to time, we may ask for your consent to use your information for certain specific reasons. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at the address provided at the end of this Privacy Policy.” Further, like Aisle, Quack Quack’s privacy policy states that users can deny permission to collect user geolocation (presumably through device access controls). 49. Aisle’s Privacy Policy explicitly states, “We do not sell your Personal Data to third parties.” 43. Quack Quack’s Privacy Policy notes that “some of the information you 60 Platform Accountability in Online Dating Platform Accountability in Online Dating 61