To keep scammers at bay, dating apps are embracing biometric scanning tools and “verified human” badges. These moves are sparking concerns about surveillance and privacy.

The site, called Stud or Dud, helps daters dig up dirt on potential paramours. It’s fueled by the same public data as PeopleFinders.com—and comes with many of the same concerns.

The app now allows men to make the first move, suggesting its women-first positioning was limiting growth. It joins other dating apps now throwing everything at the wall in a bid to stay relevant.

Rogue Studios, a new cinematic adult AI-generator, is betting big on the future of “sophisticated” spicy content.

Human-AI marriages are not currently recognized by US law. Some Republican state policymakers are drafting legislation to keep it that way.

From pessimism around dating to AI reshaping culture, cyber-ethnographer Ruby J. Thelot tells WIRED why people are putting too much stock into things that go viral.

The communication-free form of breaking up has become ubiquitous. “I no longer had to bear her energy,” a man who ghosted his partner of four years tells WIRED.

An ad for Orchid suggests the AI agent can fix relationship problems by simply doing everything for inconsiderate partners.

MAGA-coded adult content playing off immigration crackdowns, white supremacy, and obeying the “natural order” is finding rabid audiences on X.

Despite positioning itself as an anti-hookup app, users tell WIRED that Goose has fake profiles, harsh acceptance standards, and problems with inclusivity.

Porn music videos have circulated on the fringes of the internet for years. Featuring everything from narrative-driven stories to hypnosis, they are proliferating across X as “bate fuel” for gooners.

For young people, the trend removes the stigma of being unmarried and alone, and recasts it as something to aim for, not avoid.

At 21, Speed has pushed the limits of streaming by transforming a distinctly solo format into a global group chat. His song for this year’s World Cup is becoming the tournament’s unofficial anthem.

In recent months hackers have attempted to extort money from porn stars with big followings, in some cases filling their feeds with pro-MAGA and crypto content.

Unjected and PureBlood.Dating are hosting in-person meetups—and have transformed the dating landscape into a political battleground over bodily autonomy.

Amid ongoing economic anxieties, BLK and other companies are giving away basic essentials to appeal to the public.

As public backlash against Big Dating mounts, a batch of new gay hookup apps offer community-powered alternatives.

Unlike Euphoria, the Apple TV show wants to humanize the experience of sex workers rather than catastrophize the extremes of the profession.

As more sex workers quit the industry, some are having to navigate tough questions around consent and the “afterlife” of work they no longer want to be associated with.

The problem isn’t just the apps. People actually can’t afford to date anymore.

Tinder and Hinge parent company Match Group invested $100 million into the queer cruising app Sniffies. The move has left users feeling uneasy about what happens next.

Fans want to reclaim the music and myth of Michael Jackson in the new biopic while critics call for accountability. Who’s right?

Getting into Raya, the exclusive members-only dating app, has become nearly impossible for some. We met people who have waited as long as two, five, and even seven years to join.

The platform’s large-scale crackdown on automated accounts is also impacting people who’ve spent years curating niche porn on secret X accounts.

Videos of fake relationship guru podcasters are reinforcing gender tropes and racking up millions of views, all the while driving sales to AI influencer schools.

Amid the latest economic downturn, sugar babies are asking their daddies for stock market advice and taking on vanilla jobs to recession-proof their incomes.

AI companion platforms like OhChat and SinfulX are offering adult creators digital twins, who are always at their peak and stay monetizing.

The Amazon Prime prank series amplifies the hijinks of workplace dynamics, while showing how people find purpose—and community—in their jobs despite impossible situations.

With more than a dozen new features, including analyzing users’ camera rolls and astrology-based matches, Tinder is trying to lure Gen Z—and bring back those burned out from dating apps.

The app that catered to unconventional kinks is gaining steam among daters with vanilla preferences—and some aren’t happy about it.

More people are turning to AI to explore their BDSM fantasies, but some in the community feel it’s a cop-out.

Presearch’s “Doppelgänger” is trying to help people discover adult creators rather than use nonconsensual deepfakes.

In light of Zoom crackdowns and Skype shutting down, Batemates has emerged as an alternative for “bators” who like masturbating together online.

In his book The Intimate Animal, sex and relationships researcher Justin Garcia says people have miscalculated their need for human intimacy, which is the real issue at the root of the loneliness epidemic.

Across Instagram and Facebook, AI-generated videos show people of color putting ICE agents in their place. Are they cathartic or just adding to a stew of misinformation?

TikTok’s new age-detection tech seems like a better solution than automatically banning youth accounts. But experts say it still requires social platforms to surveil users more closely.

Months after major data leaks, the app where women leave Yelp-style reviews about men is relaunching with a new website. It’s not back on iOS, but the Android app has new AI features.

Alabama passed a 10 percent porn tax last year, as Utah and Pennsylvania eye similar bills. Half the country has enacted age-verification laws to prevent minors from viewing porn.

Dating apps and AI companies have been touting bot wingmen for months. But the future might just be good old-fashioned meet-cutes.

The director of Deepfaking Sam Altman created a “Sam Bot” when he couldn’t get an interview with the OpenAI CEO. Watch an exclusive trailer for the documentary, which comes out in January.

I’m a Black staffer at WIRED. My position feels more precarious than ever. There’s a reason for that.

After controlling shareholders failed to take Grindr private and controversies over data and the banning of the phrase “No Zionists,” Grindr’s CEO opens up about AI, privacy, and big expansion plans.

Sam Altman’s appearance on The Tonight Show is part of a larger charm offensive currently being waged by the tech establishment.

Half of the country now requires age verification to watch porn or access “harmful” content. Digital rights advocates are pushing back against legislation they say will make the internet less safe.

With 21 million users, Facebook Dating is a secret hit, including among Gen Zers who use it for clout and content as much as for finding love.

Hidden, a TikTok-like platform operated by sex workers, is launching as OnlyFans is implementing background checks for performers and expanding beyond adult content.

The company sent letters to Apple, Google, and Microsoft pushing for an alternative way to keep minors from viewing porn, as US and UK laws have caused its traffic to plummet.

Secret chatbot flings are creating new legal challenges for married couples when it comes to infidelity.

Face Check will scan new members’ faces to ensure they don’t match existing profiles. The move comes as romance scams continue to proliferate, with billions lost over the last decade.