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An Experimental New Dating Site Matches Singles Based on Their Browser Histories (wired.com) 72

Posted by msmash from the how-about-that dept.
A dating site launched last week by Belgian artist Dries Depoorter matches potential partners based on their internet browsing histories rather than curated profiles or photos. Browser Dating requires users to download a Chrome or Firefox extension that exports and uploads their recent search data, creating matches based on shared online behaviors and interests rather than traditional dating app metrics.

Less than 1,000 users have signed up since the platform's launch, paying a one-time fee of $10.3 for unlimited matches or using a free tier limited to five connections. Depoorter, known for digital art projects exploring surveillance and technology, says the concept emerged from a 2016 workshop where participants shared a year of search history data. The platform processes browsing data locally using Google's Firebase tools.

An Experimental New Dating Site Matches Singles Based on Their Browser Histories More | Reply

An Experimental New Dating Site Matches Singles Based on Their Browser Histories

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  • Slashdot (Score:5, Funny)

    by ItsJustAPseudonym ( 1259172 ) on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @08:58PM (#65443751)
    ...and the sound of crickets from a dating site. That is all.

  • Complete confusion (Score:5, Informative)

    by quonset ( 4839537 ) on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @09:00PM (#65443755)

    One moment I'm looking up how to kill various weeds in my lawn, the next I'm searching for how many people I'd have to kill to extract enough iron from their blood to make a sword, followed by what disasters happened in a certain year, onto finding the name of a song I heard once in my lifetime thirty years ago, and wrapping it up by searching for stories on the Christian pedophile who was arrested.

    I don't think I want to match with someone based on browser history.

    • The idea does seem to have some downsides. By the way are you an historical fantasy author? I cannot think of many reasons for wanting to know how much blood would be required to make an iron sword.

      • The idea does seem to have some downsides. By the way are you an historical fantasy author? I cannot think of many reasons for wanting to know how much blood would be required to make an iron sword.

        This seems like a valid question, along the lines of calculating the size of a giant meatball made of every human [slashdot.org].

        However, the flaw in the question is not specifying the size of the sword. For example, the sword could be the size of this violin [bbc.com], in which case a single human's blood could produce enough iron for a sword, or at least something that looks like a sword.

      • The idea does seem to have some downsides. By the way are you an historical fantasy author? I cannot think of many reasons for wanting to know how much blood would be required to make an iron sword.

        I pulled the sword one from thin air based on reading about it elsewhere. I wasn't intentionally looking for it when I came across it. However, everything else is true. And no, not an author (yet).

    • I don't think I want to match with someone based on browser history.

      Agreed, and I imagine that mathematician who Calculated The Size of a Giant Meatball Made of Every Human [slashdot.org] would have tough time there ... :-)

    • I don't know...I mean, somebody who has a similar browser history to yours, might end up being your soulmate!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by drnb ( 2434720 )

      I don't think I want to match with someone based on browser history.

      I think you'd be more successful in your endeavors if you had a partner. Teams often outperform individuals in decision making. :-)

    • I think I'm love. You just proved it works. How many people *does* is take to make 1 sword?

      • A bit over 2,300 people for an iron sword and just over 16,000 to make a steel blade.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by unrtst ( 777550 )

          I think I'd rather match with the person that doesn't know the human blood to enough iron for a sword ratio, as opposed to the person who has the answer readily available.... but ask me again when the apocalypse starts.

        • I like that you can conceive of ideas that... let's just say, a little off the genteel path... actually, that question is fairly perverse, tbh... so you're a free thinker of sorts. kudos.

          Now, that you can answer that? Well... ohlala... I mean that's the next level.
          Good thing you aren't the president of the usa, cause he might just like that idea.
          How many immigrants does it take to ... you get the idea. This sounds like the kind of perverse cruelty that Baron Harkonnen might like.
          Guys!! I need a new sword! A
    • yikes at 3-4 grams of iron per typical adult human that's... a lot. The answer is a lot.

  • Boy is that a big honking Go Fuck Yourself of an idea. Impressive in it's stupidity, really.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      There IS a dating problem in the western world. Something of a dating crisis, really. Traditional methods of pairing-up have fallen by the wayside and have been replaced by a mess that doesn't work.

      However, this joke of an idea won't fix it. It is just another gimmick that doesn't address any root cause and just won't work.

      We are kind of stuck. There is simply no going back to the old world. The kinds of technologies that shape our daily lives make doing so a ridiculous prospect. The Internet, in part

      • Go do stuff you like to do. Talk to the people there. Decide which ones you like, then ask the single ones for dates. Rinse and repeat.

        NB: If "stuff you like" is something really nasty like stomping puppies, well, it might take a bit longer to meet someone. Then again, we know that there's at least one person out there who has looked up how much blood you need to get enough iron to make a sword... so there's hope for everyone!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by unrtst ( 777550 )

      Boy is that a big honking Go Fuck Yourself of an idea. Impressive in it's stupidity, really.

      Revised idea pitch: An Experimental New Dating Site Matches Singles Based on Their Browser Histories with AI!

  • Matched by their browser histories for life in their 20s and now in their 50s. What could possibly go wrong.....

  • DNA is what you're made of... your search history is who you are. :)

    You can nitpick some searches as curiosity, but when crunched I'll bet it's a pretty good representation.

    • DNA is what you're made of... your search history is who you are. :)

      Humor aside, your search history is who your children are. You are a product of your parent's search history. :-)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by skam240 ( 789197 )

      There's a lot of naysayers on this idea in this thread but I agree. I feel like in aggregate browser histories would be pretty insightful on who someone was. At least as much as any other simplified metric, if not more so.

      • I feel like in aggregate browser histories would be pretty insightful on who someone was.

        Great, now we have something even worse to fear than leaked nudity pictures.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by skam240 ( 789197 )

          Why? It's not like anyone's browser histories are being given to the public, nor is anyone forced to use this service. If you have privacy concerns then just dont do it.

  • It works great actually (Score:5, Funny)

    by backslashdot ( 95548 ) on Wednesday June 11, 2025 @10:05PM (#65443853)

    I matched with a fat old guy who likes the same only fans chicks. We hang out and drink beer and talk about who we'd totally do.

  • How does it take into account everything that happens in Incognito mode?

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by drnb ( 2434720 )

      How does it take into account everything that happens in Incognito mode?

      It doesn't. But the truth never really comes to light until after marriage anyways. :-)

  • I like a lot visiting military themed blogs. What kind of match could I get?

  • well if you are not using private browser windows: pr0n lovers unite!

  • "Looks like you like horses!" (Score:4, Funny)

    by Rujiel ( 1632063 ) on Thursday June 12, 2025 @03:27AM (#65444173)
    "We matched you with somebody who REALLY likes horses!"

    • "We matched you with somebody who REALLY likes horses!"

      Hey....Tim Walz needs love too you know....

  • ... In the end it probably still ends up being just a pointless gimmick. The idea is probably to match people based on their shared interests, and possibly sexual kinks, which will be revealed through browsing histories. But without any context and with probably very dumb algorithms it'll likely not work well. Like, one evening going down a rabbithole of looking at cat pictures after being sent a link by someone, and then getting matched with a cat lady who has 12 cats living in her house. Or researching ho

    • The fundamental problem with any such proposed scheme is that there is no huge validated base of data of compatible couples with their browsing histories to build a real, which means data-driven model, to use for matching. Otherwise they are just making stuff up.

  • Why don't they just generate a Fetlife profile like a normal person looking to be dominated by a leather clad mistress.

  • Honeypot (Score:4, Insightful)

    by devslash0 ( 4203435 ) on Thursday June 12, 2025 @06:06AM (#65444283)

    And of course, the company behind it will explore every possible way to make money out of your browsing history. The dating aspect is just a honeypot.

  • Translation: unless you're watching tons of reaction videos for the newest marvel movies (bleh), or those videos where a journalist gets a dozen successful women directors to sit around a round table and talk about how difficult it is to be a successful woman director, you'll never get a date.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Gilmoure ( 18428 )

      You forgot searching for true crime vids.

      • You forgot searching for true crime vids.

        Yeah to both you and RobinH. What is it with women and crime vides. My wife is hooked on Oxygen channel, and her YT feed is full of women getting arrested for various crimes, mostly DUI, and sovereign citizens.

        She watches a lot of "Snapped" a true crime show where the perps wrestle women who kill their husbands, boyfriends, parents or children. Frankly, I'm surprised the show hasn't been taken off the air because it doesn't conform to the narrative.

        Maybe I should be worried?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by skam240 ( 789197 )

      Heh, if their metric worked like that I don't think they'd make any matches.

  • "Likes long romantic walks in the park, binging Buffy the Vampire, pasta, and overthrowing the US government by lynching the Vice-President and the Speaker of the House."

    • "Likes long romantic walks in the park, binging Buffy the Vampire, pasta, and overthrowing the US government by lynching the Vice-President and the Speaker of the House."

      Was that binging or banging Buffy?

    • Riots are ok as long as you storm a capital building.

  • Anyone reading slashdot... time to prune your history. /s

  • Id like to plead guilty
  • If I were to submit my browsing habits, they probably couldn't match me up with anyone. I do a lot of research, and browse sites with different opinions, then I browse technical sites, and if we just look at YT, I have so many interests that the algorithm would probably puke.

    I wonder if the guys who browse a lot of porn will get matched up with OnlyFans models?

  • "...a Chrome or Firefox extension that exports and uploads their recent search data..." Are they having a laugh?

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