China's millennials stimulate $15 billion sex toy market

BEIJING - Single and locked out of Beijing's dating scene by the pandemic, Amy was encouraged by other women in online chatrooms to find a solution to her enforced abstinence -- a sex toy.

"Before, I felt a bit scared and embarrassed to use them," said the 27-year-old, who did not wish to disclose her real name. "Then I discovered a new world."

Amy now plans to expand her collection.

Demand for sex toys is increasing in China, which is already the world's biggest exporter of bedroom aids.

That is partly thanks to the coronavirus, which brought prolonged separations for partners due to lockdowns, and lengthy closures of public entertainment venues that ruled out hook-ups.

But it is also a product of a wider cultural shift in attitudes towards sex by a younger and more open-minded demographic.

"Quite a lot of women... who are sexually active have a very open attitude towards using sex toys," Yi Heng, a prominent sex and relationships advice blogger, told AFP.

"They see it as very natural and normal."

Yi, who has over 700,000 followers on the Twitter-like Weibo platform and runs discussion groups on the topic, believes Chinese women are driving the market.

Changing social values 

China is more commonly associated with conservative public attitudes to sex -- pornography is banned and authorities have launched periodic crackdowns on "vulgar" online content.

President Xi Jinping has pushed for a "clean and righteous" cyberspace, and the Chinese government has sought to promote marriage and traditional family values as a way to revive flagging birth rates.

But China's divorce rate reached a record high of more than 3.1 million in the first nine months of 2019 -- a sign of change in societal values.

As they become increasingly empowered over what they want in the bedroom, women in their thirties and younger are getting more comfortable with the idea of using sex toys.

"Sometimes they don't find the orgasms and pleasure they really want, maybe because men's skills in bed are not good enough," explains Yi.

"Women are then perhaps more motivated to find a way to please themselves."

China's domestic sex toy sales lag far behind Western countries or even Japan.

But, driven mainly by female and millennial consumers, the country's nascent sex toy market is valued at over 100 billion yuan ($14.7 billion), according to Chinese research firm iiMedia.

Queries for the keyword "sex toys" on the Baidu search engine surged between January and June, according to Steffi Noel, an analyst at Shanghai-based market research firm Daxue Consulting.

But she added that that the spike in domestic demand during the pandemic may not result in major long-term growth.

"The people who bought (sex toys) during the pandemic were mainly first-time buyers," said Noel, and for "70 percent" of them it will likely be a one-time purchase.

1,000 sex dolls a month 

Meanwhile, overseas demand is insatiable.

China now produces 70 percent of global exports of sex toys, Daxue Consulting said in a March report.

The surge in orders came from "France, Italy and the US," said Noel, "mainly for vibrators and sex dolls."

In the first half of 2020, exports jumped by 50 percent year-on-year, Chinese e-commerce giant AliExpress said, as factories raced to meet demand in a world stuck at home due to the virus. 

"We export more than 1,000 lifelike sex dolls per month... we've reached full production capacity," a manager surnamed Feng at Shengyi Adult Products Co. in the southern manufacturing hub of Shenzhen told AFP.

The United States, Germany and Japan are major destinations for dolls which go for over 2,000 yuan (nearly $300) each.

"They don't see (sex dolls) as a taboo," Feng said.

"Now people are more open, and they don't think these objects are very weird."

Amy says she hopes Chinese society will gradually become more accepting of sex toys, and that their use will eventually be seen as normal.

"I hope that everyone can experience this kind of happiness," she said. 

"It is something you can give yourself and is very easy to acquire."

Agence France-Presse

For lesbians, TikTok is ‘the next Tinder’

On Feb. 3, Lauren Vlach received $8 on Venmo, spread across four $2 payments, from a girl she had never met. Each payment included a block of text; read together, they formed what Cas Stephens, who sent the payments, titled her “girlfriend application” to Vlach.

Name: Cas Stephens

Location: Minnesota

One of the pros of dating her: “Can do a back flip on a snowboard.”

One of the cons: “Have not seen any Disney movies.”

Though she pursued her on Venmo, Stephens, 20, found Vlach, 22, on TikTok, where her videos were racking up thousands of views. Stephens, on the other hand, didn’t have a profile picture yet. She figured it would be easier to get Vlach’s attention elsewhere and seized on the Venmo handle listed in her bio.

Her application was accepted, and they went on their first date that night, to watch the sun rise at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul. They have been documenting their relationship on TikTok ever since.

“Proves TikTok is the best lesbian dating app,” Vlach wrote in the caption of their first video together.

This is a common sentiment on Lesbian TikTok, a corner of the app dominated by funky earrings and references to indie musician Girl in Red. Like other niches, Lesbian TikTok has its own influencers, cliques, memes and drama. But it is also a hub of community, where those discovering, questioning and embracing their attraction to other women can find friends, solidarity and even love.

Like other social media, TikTok connects LGBTQ people around the world. And the impulse to convene online has only gotten stronger during quarantine. According to data from market research firm Sensor Tower, approximately 338 million first-time users downloaded TikTok from the App Store and Google Play from March 1 to May 31.

“A lot of my straight friends will be like, ‘Why don’t you just meet people in real life?’ But it’s hard to know if someone’s gay sometimes, and it can be kind of anxiety-inducing to bring that up with people,” said Rachael Thompson, 20, who lives in Arlington, Texas, and recently met up with a TikTok friend from New Orleans.

According to documents obtained by Ad Age in October 2019, 69 percent of TikTok users are between ages 16 and 24, meaning many users are too young to sign up for certain dating apps (where prospects are location-dependent), much less go to bars (few of which, increasingly, are designated for lesbians). Plus, many teenagers are still in the closet or figuring out their sexuality. TikTok is a place where they can do so safely.

Such a companionable environment can engender impressive thirstiness. On practically any video of a pretty girl, there will be multiple comments asking, “Do you listen to Girl in Red?” — Gen Z’s female-specific version of “Are you a friend of Dorothy?”

That boldness has its downsides, though.

“Nobody should be forced to come out, ever,” said Olivia Boardman, 20, who met her girlfriend on TikTok during quarantine. She said publicly asking if someone is gay “puts people in an uncomfortable position.”

Boardman, who was outed when she was 14, said many teenage girls have sought her guidance after seeing her on TikTok. (Her bio: “CEO of giving advice to gays.”)

Unlike on Twitter or Instagram, TikTok users scroll through a main feed, or “For You” page, of algorithm-generated videos from users they may not follow. This makes for a contained user experience: Someone can join TikTok, and if they search for, interact with or create lesbian videos, their For You page will mainly contain lesbian videos. Straight influencers like Charli D’Amelio may have droves of followers, but a member of Lesbian TikTok (or other niche communities, like Alt TikTok, WitchTok or Frog TikTok) could feasibly never see them.

Avery Blanchard, 20, who is known online as Avery Cyrus, said she thought Lesbian TikTok was “the only TikTok” when she first joined the app.

“I just didn’t even know that there was a regular side of TikTok,” she said.

If Lesbian TikTok were its own world, it could be broken down into many countries with their own national anthems — songs played over and over in users’ videos. There are the cottagecore girls (anthem: Mitski’s “Strawberry Blonde” or anything by Hozier), the couples (anthem: Girl in Red’s “We Fell in Love in October”) and the aesthetes (anthem: Vivaldi’s “Summer,” from “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”), among others.

“It reminds me a lot of if AOL chat rooms could come to life,” said Shelli Nicole, a writer who has covered Lesbian TikTok for queer women’s website Autostraddle.

Influencers like Blanchard would occupy the largest territory in Lesbian TikTok World. She joined the app in October on a dare; now she has 1.6 million followers.

Blanchard met another TikTok influencer, Soph Mosca, 21, at popular creator convention Playlist Live in February. They hit it off and are now involved. Blanchard said she didn’t expect TikTok to become a matchmaking site when she first joined. “I didn’t know it had the potential to, like, be the next Tinder,” she said.

“I never thought I would date someone from TikTok,” echoed Rachael Espie, 18, who met her girlfriend, Sarah Pye, 20, when she happened upon one of Pye’s videos in her feed. Their relationship is intercontinental: Espie lives in Glasgow, Scotland, and Pye lives in California.

Lesbian TikTok has had a huge impact on Espie’s life beyond finding her a girlfriend. She said the app inspired her to come out as a lesbian in December 2019.

Vlach had a similar story: Having only dated men, she said she joined TikTok because she heard there was “this whole lesbian community” on the app.

“I can’t wait til I experience a love like this,” an 18-year-old user commented on one of Vlach’s videos with Stephens.

“I hope you find it one day,” Vlach replied.

-Lena Wilson, The New York Times-

Sellers of sex toys capitalize on all that alone time

Well, the data bears out what we expected. Sex toys are selling.

Adam and Eve, a company with franchised locations across North America and an online store, reported a 30 percent increase in online sales in March and April based on the same time period last year.

Other big companies that do most of their sales online also saw an uptick. Wow Tech Group, which owns We-Vibe and Womanizer, reported that online sales for both brands were more than 200 percent higher this April compared to last year.

And as Vice reported in April, online sales for products through Cotr Inc., the company behind B-Vibe, Le Wand and the Cowgirl, were roughly three times higher this March than they were last year. Alicia Sinclair, the chief executive, said that the numbers have continued to climb, with April’s sales surpassing March’s by 80 percent.

Some of this can be chalked up to lockdown boredom. (Also, during the height of stay-at-home orders, Amazon seems to have continued to ship sex toys, despite their nonessential status.)

But while big, corporate sex toy retailers seem to have thrived, the same cannot necessarily be said for brick-and-mortar sex shops. As consumers rush to buy sex toys from websites, businesses that usually rely on foot traffic and interpersonal connections with customers are suffering.

Sid Azmi, 37, the owner of Please, a store in Brooklyn that has been open for roughly 6 years, explained that despite having an accompanying online shop, she cannot compete with bigger online retailers.

Azmi said that small businesses often charge more for sex toys: They do not get bulk-buying discounts from distributors, and they cannot afford to have huge sales on their products. Customers are usually willing to pay more, she said, because of the friendly service and education stores like Please can offer.

“The reason why people come to us rather than buying from Amazon or bigger sex shops like Adam and Eve is because we offer in-house education, conversations, our time and our recommendations,” she said. “It’s that one-on-one personable service that we can’t promote through online sales.”

Shag, a store that features a collection of body-safe sex toys that has been in the Brooklyn borough of New York since 2009, is also feeling financial strain. Samantha Bard, 45, one of the store’s owners, said that while online sales have risen slightly in the last two months, the store is selling far less than it would if the brick-and-mortar shop in Williamsburg was still open.

As a result, the owners have tried different tactics to succeed online: They have started selling locally made face masks; they have revamped their online store and added more products to it; they have even integrated with Amazon, so potential customers can find the store’s products there.

“We’re hoping that that will generate some people to come back after they’ve made their first Amazon purchase, maybe they’ll come back to our own web store and purchase through us,” Bard said.

In addition to single-location sex shops, established chains in New York are also hurting. Lisa Finn, a representative from Babeland — a chain with three of its four locations in New York City — said that, though online sales are higher, it is not enough to make up for how much the stores usually sell in person.

Glen Buzzetti, the CEO of Romantic Depot New York, said that since shifting to online-only, and offering same-day delivery, sales from the website have surged: Online sales in March and April were roughly 12 times higher than they were this time last year.

Yet it does not compare to how much the business, known for its massive, depot-style locations, usually sells from its physical stores.

“It’s not enough to make a difference where it’s going to be able to pay our rent,” he said. “That’s the reality: Our bills are higher than what is coming in.”

Sex shops in other cities, further along than New York in easing restrictions, are still struggling to adapt to new, mostly online business models.

Darling Way, in Houston, was able to open its doors to the public again on May 1. But Beth Liebling, 54, the owner and founder, said that the store is quieter now than it ever has been in its four-year history. The store’s sales in May were 70 percent lower than what Liebling had projected in January.

“People aren’t out and about very much,” she said. “They just aren’t in a big spending mood.”

Serene Martinez, the owner of Pink Bunny in San Francisco, said that it had been a generally positive experience. Though Pink Bunny has not been able to open its doors to the public yet because of California’s restrictions on retail stores, Martinez has been able to connect with customers through one-on-one Zoom calls where she acts as a personal shopper, as well as through the store’s YouTube channel.

June Pilote, a sex educator, said that part of the reason boutique and smaller sex shops are struggling right now is because their prices are higher.

“Sex toys are something that can really help you explore your gender and your sexuality, but they’re also expensive,” he said.

He said that to avoid spending money on a product that is not right (it is usually not possible to return a used sex toy), people should take the time to research the toys they are buying.

Local shops may also be able to provide more education and community. Luna Matatas, a sex and pleasure educator in Toronto, said sex toys made from materials like jelly can be toxic.

She said safe materials include medical-grade silicone, stainless steel and glass.

Liebling emphasized that, though sales may be high for big online retailers, the next few months will be uncertain for business owners like herself.

“I don’t think I’m the only one that’s just looking around and going, ‘Can we do this? Can we actually survive, financially?’ ”

2020 The New York Times Company

Dating in the time of coronavirus: Chat online, meet much later

NEW YORK -- With governments clamping down on social interactions to contain the coronavirus spread, dating sites are discouraging dates and asking users to get to know each other virtually instead.

"We don't know who needs to hear this, but now is NOT the time to go out with your date to a bar," leading match-maker OkCupid tweeted on Monday.

"FaceTime, Skype, call, text, call, message on our app.... all very romantic right now," it added.

Dating sites contacted by AFP refused to divulge their traffic since COVID-19 starting shutting down US cities this week but it appears their usage is far from slowing. Even if some academics would like them to suspend their activities entirely.

"It's time to shut down Tinder and all online dating services," tweeted US writer Matt Stoller.

"No more internet-enabled interactions among random people until the #coronavirus crisis has passed," he added.

Joking about the coronavirus has become popular on dating sites, although not necessarily effective at endearing matches to each other.

"If someone seems like they're not taking the crisis seriously or they're making fun of it for me personally that's a turnoff," said comedian and author Lane Moore.

She helped created the show "Tinder Live," in which she interacts with matches in real time, and thinks coronavirus could be an "opportunity" for people to bond.

"I'm talking to a guy right now who I met on Tinder Live and we're both talking about how this coronavirus COVID-19 stuff is impacting our lives so that can be a good way to know somebody," she said.

Moore, from New York, says many of the men she meets on Tinder want to cut the conversation short and jump straight to meeting in the flesh.

She thinks it's a good thing that now men are being forced to chat more first.

'ONE-WORD ANSWERS'

"That's something that women have always wanted because it's an opportunity to meet someone you like the first time but also try to make sure that they're safe," Moore explained.

The dating site Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB) is proposing several different ideas for remote interactions, including an online video game date.

"This is going to be important for us to think outside the box in crazy times like this," said CEO Dawoon Kang.

CMB is also organizing an online group discussion, which it has never done before.

Yale University student Ileana Valdez and five friends spent just a few hours setting up a dating site for students whose classes have been canceled and campuses are deserted.

The site, OKZoomer, a nod to the popular expression "OK boomer" which millennials use to refer to older people, picked up 6,500 users in less than a week, according to Valdez.

"Social distancing allows us to focus on conversations and building up existing and new relationships," the computer science student told AFP via email.

She feels that the big dating apps are focused on "hookups," and argues that OKZoomer sets the ground for "meaningful relationships."

For example, OKZoomer's algorithm does not prioritize proximity, unlike most major dating sites.

Other sites are emerging too, such as "Quarantine Together," whose slogan is "Get close even when you can't be close."

Moore, the comedian, isn't convinced that the new coronavirus will spark a dating revolution though.

"I can imagine that once all of this settles down the men who don't really want to be having a conversation will probably go back to one-word answers."

Agence France-Presse

Will Facebook Dating swipe online lovebirds out of digital nest?

PARIS — All's fair in electronic love and dating - or is it? The battle for hearts and minds of couples seeking their perfect match online has taken a new turn.

If you're a flirty mobile warrior Tindering on the brink or Bumbling from one swipe to the next be aware there's another game in town as Facebook muscles in to place its own tanks on the lawn.

As online dating becomes the virtual norm -- some experts suggest half of British couples will meet that way come the end of the decade -- Facebook's gradual arrival on the dating scene -- launched progressively in the Americas and Southeast Asia -- looks set to shake up the market.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said last month he saw the company as moving towards the forefront of online dating having promised at the outset a service "for building real long-term relationships -- not just hook-ups." 

But rivals are not quaking in their boots just yet, despite the size of the social media giant's global footprint with more than 2 billion monthly active users some of whose data it now could leverage for romantic purposes. 

"Facebook (Dating) has been going in certain countries for more than a year now and, for the moment, we've seen nothing change in terms of market share," said Didier Rappaport, founder and managing director of popular French dating app Happn -- motto, 'crushes don't fall from the sky'.

Contacted by AFP, Facebook was not able to say exactly when it would launch its dating variant in Europe. Early 2020 had been the mooted target but on the eve of Valentine's Day, this Friday, its rivals were still waiting with bated breath to see what effect such a storied -- and free -- competitor may have.

"From social networks to dating sites is just a step which does not require enormous technological investment," observed Julien Pillot, a researcher and lecturer at leading French business school Inseec. 

Pillot said Facebook has "copied everything which worked well on other applications and added two or three functionalities. What interests them is getting users to link in the sharing of private content."

Rappaport said a fundamental issue is whether social networks are a good fit for dating.

"Are social networks and meeting up a match? In my view, no, as what marks out a social network is the sharing of information -- whereas dating moves into the intimate sphere," he said.

A December opinion poll of 21,000 Americans by Piplsay showed only 23 percent of responders would happily let Facebook securely store their personal data on its dating platform.

Clementine Lalande, co-founder of French dating app Once, which only allows a user to select one profile a day, notes that "the big problem with generalist applications is you end up with a mass of users who don't share the same interest communities."

TINDER SURE OF ITS CHARMS 

If Facebook's challengers are not yet professing too much concern at the Californian colossus's arrival that is because they are too busy being wary of Match Group, the US internet firm which has split off from parent and controlling shareholder IAC and which owns dating brands such as Hinge, OKCupid, Match.com, Meetic and, not least, Tinder.

Tinder ranked top for user monetization in a study across a range of non-game apps last year by specialist data provider AppAnnie, raking in $1.2 billion across the year in a global marked valued at some $2.2 billion.

Jean-Baptiste Bourgeois and Kevin Pasquier, strategic planners with We Are Social digital agency, told AFP that "Tinder has redefined the whole user dating path."

In its basic form, "it is a fairly cunning mechanism which after several swipes limits the user, frustrates him and generates fear of missing a rare pearl" who might be out there.

A way of capturing that pearl or at least reduce one's chances of missing out is to take out a subscription offering wider functionality.

The model has found favor with most rivals as they seek to portray themselves as being above the superficiality of simply chasing an image.

Match Group head Amanda W. Ginsberg says her firm "will not underestimate" Facebook's potential to corner the market, not least given the numbers already on its platform and ease of access. 

"But for now we don't see any consequence for any of our brands."

A Tinder spokesman told AFP meanwhile it sees its rivals as general apps popular with young web surfers such as Tik Tok, Snapchat, Netflix and YouTube rather than dedicated dating apps.

Agence France-Presse 

Tinder unveils 'panic button' for emergency response

WASHINGTON - Tinder announced Thursday that US users would soon have a "panic button" to alert authorities to potentially dangerous situations as part of a stepped up safety initiative by the popular dating app.

A new feature unveiled by Tinder will allow users to opt into the personal safety app Noonlight, which connects users to personal emergency services.

A Tinder spokesperson said the feature would roll out in the coming days in the United States and connect users to "trained dispatchers who contact authorities on behalf of the user."

The new safety feature "acts as a silent bodyguard in situations when you're alone or meeting someone for the first time," said Brittany LeComte, co-founder of Noonlight.

Tinder is also adding photo verification, to compare using artificial intelligence a posed photo taken in real-time to profile photos.

Members with authenticated pictures will get a "badge" that verifies their images are authentic. The photo feature is being tested "in select markets" and will be widely available later this year.

Tinder, known for giving users the option to "swipe" right or left to accept or reject a date, is the largest of the apps in Match Group, operating in 190 countries, claiming to facilitate one million dates per week.

To help allay concerns on personal risks, Tinder said it is launching a safety center within the app to keep users informed of its resources.

This feature is being launched in the United States, Britain, France and Germany and will be "localized" for additional markets throughout the year.

Tinder and its online dating siblings including PlentyOfFish, OkCupid and Hinge, which make up the Match Group, will be spun off as an independent company this year, according to parent firm IAC.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Tinder Gold offers smarter swiping at a price

“Tinder’s definitely not a game,” said Elie Seidman, the company’s chief executive, in a recent interview. “At the core, it’s about human connection.”

If you squint, though, the app doesn’t look so different from the countless mobile games on the market. Tinder has a clear objective and explicit rules. At any time of day, there are tens of millions of people playing, er, swiping, on the dating app. And, like the games with which it competes for screen time, Tinder charges users who want a leg up.

For example, in Clash of Clans, a mobile game in which you build and defend a village, you can use real money to buy “gems,” the basic currency of that game. On Tinder, you can buy extra “super likes” (which alert others that you are enamored of them) and “boosts” (which make your profile more visible to people in the area).

Or, to really increase your chances, you might subscribe to Tinder Gold for about $30 a month. (The price depends on multiple factors, including where you live and how many years you have walked the Earth searching for a partner.)

Tinder Gold grants users access to a feature called “Likes You,” which gives them a list of people who have swiped right on them. Suddenly, there’s no futile swiping whatsoever. Instead, you’ve got a (hopefully long) list of strangers with whom you’re guaranteed to match. It’s something like god mode, for a dating app.

“The structure of those in-app purchases are highly similar to the structure of in-app purchases for games, in that you have those special abilities,” said Randy Nelson, the head of mobile insights at Sensor Tower, an analytics firm. “A direct line can be drawn from the boosts and power-ups in a game to the boosts and power-ups in Tinder.”

Tinder has leveraged these to great effect since introducing Tinder Gold in 2017. It has become, according to Sensor Tower and App Annie, another analytics firm, the top-grossing nongaming app in the world.

And it’s only getting bigger: Tinder announced on Tuesday that it had added more than 500,000 subscribers worldwide in the last quarter, for a total of more than 5 million people paying for Tinder Gold or the less expensive Tinder Plus.

Back in 2015, according to Sensor Tower, the App Store’s top 10 grossing apps for the second quarter were all games. But in 2016, a subscription app, Spotify, entered the mix. In the second quarter of 2019, four nongaming apps — Tinder, Netflix, YouTube and Tencent Video — are in the top 10, along with games like Honor of Kings and Candy Crush Saga.

Tinder’s pricing structure splits the difference between those games and something like YouTube, whose premium package removes irritating advertisements and allows access to otherwise unavailable content.

Tinder is run by Match Group, the behemoth that owns most of the dating apps one might use, with the exception of Bumble. Another Match Group company, OkCupid, introduced Likes You as an option for paying customers starting in 2012. But Tinder’s founders were reluctant to incorporate it.

Gary Swidler, the chief financial officer of Match Group, said that “there was concern about breaking that core foundational principle of the double opt-in.”

The app’s current chief has no such qualms.

“They were mistaken,” Seidman said. (Several of the app’s founders, including Sean Rad, a former chief executive, are in a legal dispute with Match and its parent company, IAC.)

Most people think of Tinder as a free app, and it is free to most of its millions of users. Brent Thill, an analyst who covers the company for Jefferies Technology Group, said that Match Group overall had more than 80 million users. (The company does not release specific numbers for each app.)

Swidler said that roughly 70% of Tinder’s revenue comes from subscriptions; the other 30 percent comes from à la carte features, along with a small amount from advertising.

Some experts who had expressed doubt in Match Group have recently shifted gears. Goldman Sachs had advised investors to sell its stock in February, citing the likelihood of Tinder Gold subscribers ending their subscriptions and Facebook’s gearing up in the dating space. But in May, Goldman analysts adjusted their estimate, calling their previous view “myopic” in light of Match’s consistent subscriber growth.

That growth comes as Match Group continues to expand into new markets, building up its user base around the world.

“You get a huge advantage by getting a lot of free users,” Swidler said, explaining the company’s “product first, then monetization” strategy. Essentially, the larger the pool of people using Tinder, the more who might eventually pay for certain benefits. If they get frustrated enough.


2019 New York Times News Service

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Russia requires Tinder to share users' data with security services

MOSCOW -- Popular dating app Tinder is now required to share users' data with Russian security services after being placed on an official register, the country's telecoms watchdog said Monday.

Tinder has over 50 million users swiping right to select dating profiles and find a match. It is part of the US-based Match Group of social apps whose parent firm is InterActiveCorp. 

The Roskomnadzor watchdog said that Tinder was added to its register "after it presented the necessary information".

Roskomnadzor -- together with Russia's law enforcement authorities and security agencies including the feared FSB, the successor to the KGB -- keeps a register of so-called "organizers of information distribution". 

The register lists 175 sites and services including Russia's biggest bank Sberbank and the country's popular social media network VK.

By law, the companies on the register must store user data in Russia for 6 months -- including the content of messages exchanged -- and hand over any of the information to law enforcement authorities if requested to do so.

If the company refuses to comply, the authorities can act to block sites, as was the case last year with the embattled Telegram messaging app, created by maverick Russian Internet guru Pavel Durov.

In a statement, a Tinder spokesperson said the company had "received a request to register with the Russian authorities, and, as of now, we have registered to be compliant".

"However, this registration in no way shares any user or personal data with any Russian regulatory bodies and we have not handed over any data to their government," the spokesperson added.

Some Russian internet users made fun of the move, warning that FSB officers will now have access to any steamy correspondence or unrequited pickup attempts.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Online daters aim 'out of their league,' study says

Most people who use online dating websites seek partners who are out of their league, said a study Wednesday based on heterosexuals in four big U.S. cities.

"Both men and women pursued partners about 25 percent more 'desirable' than themselves," said the report in the journal Science Advances.

Hardly anyone reached out to people who ranked significantly lower than themselves.

People's desirability was determined using a ranking algorithm based on how many messages they received from other popular users on a dating site in New York, Seattle, Boston and Chicago.

"If you are contacted by people who are themselves desirable, then you are presumably more desirable yourself," said the study.

Using this PageRank algorithm, which is employed by web search engines, researchers could establish a person's "league," which they scientifically coined "hierarchies of desirability."

For some at the pinnacle of the dating game, the flurry of messages from would-be suitors was dizzying.

"The most popular individual in our four cities, a 30-year-old woman living in New York, received 1,504 messages during the period of observation, equivalent to one message every 30 min, day and night, for the entire month," said the study.

While researchers did not reveal the end to this lady's love story, they did find that the majority of daters on the site tended to reach out to people who were ranked higher than themselves.

They also tended to send lengthier messages to people deemed higher on the desirability ladder.

In most cases, these long-shots fell short.

When there is a big gap in desirability between online daters, "there is a pronounced drop in the probability of reply," said the report.

And only in Seattle were there signs that long letters were more successful than short messages at getting a potential mate to respond.

People have probably been pining for unattainable love interests since the dawn of time.

But taking a scientific look at the phenomenon gives cause for hope, according to lead author Elizabeth Bruch, a sociologist at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

"I think a common complaint when people use online dating websites is they feel like they never get any replies," she said.

"This can be dispiriting. But even though the response rate is low, our analysis shows that 21 percent of people who engage in this aspirational behavior do get replies from a mate who is out of their league, so perseverance pays off."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Eminem fuels Nicki Minaj dating rumors

NEW YORK -- Eminem on Sunday fueled rumors that he was dating Nicki Minaj, creating an ultimate hip-hop power couple -- and one which few would have anticipated.

Eminem, the top-selling rapper of all time, addressed speculation of the relationship as he headlined the Governors Ball festival in New York -- although his phrasing was odd enough to leave lingering doubts.

"I'm going to tell you something about Nicki that she don't even know," Eminem told the crowd.

"We go together!" he said to cheers. "That's all I wanted to say. Thank you for letting me get that off my chest."

Minaj, one of the most influential women in hip-hop, suggested a relationship with Eminem late last month when she contributed a verse to the song "Big Bank" by rapper YG.

"Told 'em I met Slim Shady / Bag the Em / Once he go black he'll be back again," she said, using one of the alter ego character names of the white rapper.

Posting the verse on Instagram, Minaj was asked by a fan whether she was in fact dating Eminem and she replied, "Yes."

But the unusually direct response stirred social media chatter that the relationship was little more than teasing between the two, and Eminem was coy on the subject when addressing an earlier concert.

Eminem, 45, has generated headlines for his turbulent personal life -- and often violent lyricism about women -- since he emerged in the 1990s. He twice married and divorced Kim Scott, his high school sweetheart from Michigan.

The Trinidad-born Minaj, 35, last year said she had ended a two-year relationship with fellow rapper Meek Mill.

The eight-year-old Governors Ball drew some 150,000 people over three days to the city's tiny Randall's Island. Other performers included garage rocker Jack White, boisterous rap star Travis Scott and fast-rising pop singer Halsey.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Facebook to play matchmaker in first dating service

SAN JOSE - Facebook Inc will offer its first dating service, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday, signaling the entry of the world's largest social network into a growing market that sent shares of established dating site operators tumbling.

Zuckerberg told software developers at Facebook's annual F8 conference that a dating service would be a natural fit for a company that specializes in connecting people online.

"There are 200 million people on Facebook that list themselves as single, so clearly there's something to do here," Zuckerberg said.

Facebook users have been able reveal on the network whether they are single or in a relationship since it first went live in February 2004.

Zuckerberg said Facebook was building the dating service with an emphasis on privacy, a sensitive subject for people who use online dating and for Facebook as the company reels from a scandal over its handling of personal information.

A dating service could increase the time people spend on Facebook and be a "big problem" for competitors such as Match Group Inc, said James Cordwell, an analyst at Atlantic Equities. Match, the owner of popular mobile dating app Tinder and OkCupid, calls itself the "global leader in dating" on its website.

"But the initial functionality looks relatively basic compared to those offered by Match's services, so the impact Facebook has on the dating space will be down to how well it executes in this area," Cordwell said.

Match Group shares fell more than 23 percent on the news of Facebook's service. IAC, Match Group's parent company, dropped more than 15 percent. Sparks Networks, owner of JDate and ChristianMingle, fell 7.3 percent.

A prototype displayed on screens at the F8 conference showed a heart shape at the top-right corner of the Facebook app. Pressing on it will take people to their dating profile if they have set one up.

The prototype was built around local, in-person events, allowing people to browse other attendees and send them messages.

It did not appear to have a feature to "swipe" left or right on potential matches to signal interest, as Tinder and other established services have.

The feature will be for finding long-term relationships, "not just hook-ups," Zuckerberg said. It will be optional and will launch soon, he added, without giving a specific day.

Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox said in a separate presentation that the company would share more over the next few months.

Cox said he had been thinking about a dating feature on Facebook since 2005, when he joined the company about a year after its founding.

The company began seriously considering adding a dating service in 2016, when Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook page a photo of a couple who had met on the network, Cox said.

Thousands of people responded to Zuckerberg's post with similar stories about meeting partners on Facebook, Cox said. "That's what got the gears turning," he said.

People will be able to start a conversation with a potential match by commenting on one of their photos, but for safety reasons that Cox did not specify, the conversations will be text-only, he said.

Facebook executives were quick to highlight other features for safety and privacy, noting that dating activity would not show up in Facebook's centerpiece News Feed.

Concerns about privacy on Facebook have grown since the social network's admission in March that the data of millions of users was wrongly harvested by political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

A dating service "represents a potentially challenging situation if Facebook can't fulfill its promise to offer dating services in a privacy-protected and safe way," said Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst at eMarketer.

However, "I'm sure it will make good use of the data Facebook has been able to collect about its users," she added.

Zuckerberg also said on Tuesday that Facebook was building a new privacy control called "clear history" to allow users to delete browsing history, similar to the option of clearing cookies in a browser.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

LOOK: John Lloyd thanks Ellen in 'baduy' post

The two have yet to admit the status of their relationship, but John Lloyd Cruz and Ellen Adarna are obviously close to each other.

In his latest Instagram post, Cruz posted a photo of the two of them, with Adarna kissing him on the cheek.


In the caption, Cruz wrote: "This girl really did something good to my soul. I'll always be grateful."

The two are widely rumored to be dating following a series of posts on Adarna's account.

Last Wednesday, Adarna posted another sweet photo of her cuddling with his "Home Sweetie Home" co-star, apparently taken during their recent Cebu getaway. 

It came a day after she called Cruz "baby love" in another post, and after shrugging off critics of their close relationship by sharing that they bonded over art therapy. 

Cruz and Adarna have been the center of relationship rumors for weeks now. It began after their much-talked Bantayan island trip.


Adarna has previously gone on the record to say that both of them are not yet ready to enter into a new romance. 

Cruz's last relationship was with Angelica Panganiban, which ended in 2016. Adarna, on the other hand, broke up with her boyfriend, Sebastian "Baste" Duterte, back in December. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Turkey blocks Wikipedia access, bans TV dating shows

ISTANBUL - Turkey on Saturday blocked all access to Wikipedia and banned television dating shows, adding to fears of a crackdown after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's victory in a referendum on enhancing his powers.

The government also dismissed almost 4,000 public officials in the latest wave of the purge under the over nine-month state of emergency that has followed last July's failed coup.

Erdogan, who has dominated Turkey since 2003 as premier and now president, narrowly won the April 16 referendum on enhancing his powers which supporters believe will lead to better government but critics say creates one man rule.

Turkey's Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) said it had implemented the ban against online encyclopedia Wikipedia.org with an administrative order.

Turkish state media said the ban was imposed because Wikipedia had failed to remove content promoting terror and accusing Turkey of cooperation with various terror groups.

There was no indication when the ban might be removed, with a formal court order expected to follow in the coming days.

- 'I stand with Turkey' -

Reacting to the ban, Wikipedia's founder Jimmy Wales wrote on Twitter: "Access to information is a fundamental human right. Turkish people, I will always stand with you to fight for this right."

A block affecting all language editions of the website in Turkey was detected from 0500 GMT after an administrative order by the Turkish authorities, according to the Turkey Blocks monitoring group, which follows internet restrictions in the country.

Residents in Istanbul were unable to access any pages of Wikipedia on Saturday morning without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), AFP correspondents said.

The order was issued under Law 5651, passed in 2014 by parliament, which bolstered the BTK's control over the internet and was seen at the time by freedom of expression activists as an erosion of online liberties.

The incident quickly spawned its own separate Wikipedia entry -- "Wikipedia blocked in Turkey".

Turkey has become notorious over the last years for temporarily blocking access to popular sites, including Facebook and Twitter, in the wake of major events such as mass protests or terror attacks.

- 'Sanctity of the family' -

In a decree issued late Saturday evening, Turkey also banned hugely popular television dating shows, a move that been mooted for months by the government.

"In radio and television broadcasting services, such programmes in which people are introduced to find a friend.... cannot be permitted," said the text of the decree.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said in March that the ban was in the pipeline, arguing the shows do not fit in with Turkish traditions and customs.

"There are some strange programmes that would scrap the institution of family, take away its nobility and sanctity," Kurtulmus said at the time.

Opponents of the ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) government frequently voice fears that Turkey is sliding toward conservative Islam under Erdogan.

But AKP supporters have said that dating shows receive thousands of complaints every year and the ban is in the public interest.

- '4,000 sacked' -

Under a separate decree, 3,974 public officials were dismissed by Turkey including more than 1,000 people working with the justice ministry and over 1,000 staff employed by the army.

Those fired from the air force included over 100 pilots, it added. Almost 500 academics working for state institutions were also dismissed.

The dismissals came after Turkey on April 26 detained more than 1,000 people and suspended over 9,100 police in a vast new crackdown against alleged supporters of the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen blamed for the failed July 15 coup bid.

An already nine month state of emergency in place since the coup bid has seen a total of 47,000 people arrested and prompted fears the crackdown is being used to go after all opponents of Erdogan.

Gulen denies being behind the coup but the authorities argue the purges are needed to wipe out his "virus" from society.

The crackdown has also caused major strains with the European Union, which Turkey has sought to join for the last half century in a so far fruitless membership drive.

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday the EU's top officials will seek a meeting with Erdogan at a NATO summit next month despite the mounting tensions with Ankara.

sjw/ach

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Ashley Madison dating site to pay $1.6-M over breach

WASHINGTON - The operators of the Ashley Madison affair-minded dating website agreed Wednesday to pay a $1.6 million penalty over a data breach exposing data from 36 million users, US officials announced.

Ashley Madison's Canadian parent company Ruby agreed to the penalty to settle charges with the US Federal Trade Commission and state regulators for failing to protect confidential user information.

The settlement comes after a hacker group last year released what was said to be personal data on millions of members of Ashley Madison, who were based in 46 countries. The fallout led to reports of blackmail and even suicides.

The financial penalty, split between the federal government and US states suing the company, would increase to $8.75 million to the FTC plus $8.75 million to states if Ashley Madison fails to abide by new information security practices and refrain from misleading consumers.

"This case represents one of the largest data breaches that the FTC has investigated to date, implicating 36 million individuals worldwide," said FTC chairwoman Edith Ramirez.

"The global settlement requires AshleyMadison.com to implement a range of more robust data security practices that will better protect its users' personal information from criminal hackers going forward."

NO COMPENSATION
Ramirez said the penalty being paid is too small to allow for "redress" or compensation to affected consumers, noting that compensation is rarely obtained in data security cases.

"We want them (the company) to feel the pain, we don't want them to profit from unlawful conduct," Ramirez told reporters in a conference call.

But she added that "it would not serve the public interest to put them out of business."

Earlier this year, the dating website -- whose motto had been "life is short, have an affair" rebooted, calling itself an "open-minded dating" service.

The company said at the time it will no longer use female "bots" or automated programs that respond to members pretending to be women on the hunt for men.

According to the FTC complaint, until August 2014, operators of the site lured customers, including 19 million Americans, with fake profiles of women designed to convert them into paid members.

The company failed to adequately protect users' personal information such as date of birth, relationship status and sexual preferences, according to the complaint.

The company confirmed the settlement, saying it would help it move past the hacking episode.

"Today is a pivotal day for our members and for Ashley Madison," said a statement from Ruby chief executive Rob Segal.

"Today's settlement closes an important chapter on the company's past and reinforces our commitment to operating with integrity and to building a new future for our members, our team and our company."

The settlement followed an investigation in cooperation with consumer protection authorities in Canada and Australia. Thirteen US states plus the federal District of Columbia joined the lawsuit.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Group date? There are apps for that

Move over Tinder -- a crop of dating apps in smartphone-addicted Asia is offering to recruit friends for group dates or send along a chaperone to steer the course of romance.

While dating apps developed in the West encourage one-on-one, often no-strings-attached meetings, many in Asia are as much about old-school courtship or friendship in a region where meeting a stranger in a bar can still be a taboo.

"My upbringing was very close to my parents, religious, traditional and old-fashioned. You couldn't go on dates if your parents didn't know the guy," said Valenice Balace, who developed the Peekawoo service in the Philippines two years ago.

"I grew up with chaperoned dates and even when I was in college my kid sister was always with me on dates."

Too shy to make eye contact in bars as a singleton, the 26-year-old turned to apps similar to Tinder, which boasts tens of millions of active users, where photos of potential matches are instantly liked or rejected.

But after one man suggested he come to her house after their first online conversation, Balace realized the set-up was not for her.

And so the Filipina entrepreneur created an app which not only discouraged users from meeting one-on-one but also offered a chaperone service for those who requested it.

As Peekawoo expanded -– it now has around 7,000 members -– it was no longer practical for the small company to provide a chaperone for every couple who asked for one, and so Balace's team started organizing meetups instead.

It is a model shared by Hong Kong-based app Grouvly, which sets up groups of six people for dates.

'Hard to meet people'

"When I came to Asia, I realised it was hard to meet people," explains Colombian-born CEO Camilo Paredes.

"I also realized that most of the Asians were somewhat shy, they're not confrontational, they don't put themselves out there."

His solution was to mimic American Grouper, which matches two people according to the information on their Facebook profiles, then asks them to bring two friends with them to a bar for a six-person meet up.

While the majority of pairings are men meeting women, there is also the option of all-male or all-female dates.

"One-on-one can be super awkward. Two-on-two is still slightly awkward, but three-on-three is the magic number," says Paredes.

Alongside expats, Hong Kongers now make up 50 percent of Grouvly's users. In Singapore, most users are locals and there are plans to roll out the service to Japan, South Korea, Australia and China.

"For me, if somebody else likes the guy, they can have them," says Aly, a 24-year-old blogger from the UK and Grouvly regular.

"Ok, they're nice, but I've met them for what, two hours? I'm not going to cry about it."

Aly finds these apps can be as much about making friends as looking for love, with Peekawoo's founder saying this change of focus also allows women to take back control.

"There was one Peekawoo event where a Filipino-American guy offended a Filipina girl by asking her to go home with him," Balace remembered.

"I told her, 'I'm proud of you'. We told the guy what he did was wrong, and we never invited him again."

'Sign of promiscuity'
Even if the Singapore-based Paktor -- which claims 3.5 million registered users -- is less averse to hook ups, it has recently also added functions such as group chats.

"People either organise a group meeting or they reach out to one person in that chat to have a conversation with them," explains Joseph Phua, 31, co-founder of the app.

"It's true that people here tend to be more reserved, less direct," he added. "Asian society feels failure or rejection more strongly, it's just part of the fabric of society. That carries on into the dating space as well."

While apps are being created or tweaked to adapt to tamer local sensibilities, others like China's WeChat can lead to casual trysts with a location-based "Shake" function.

But meeting a partner online in a global hub like Hong Kong still remains less common than in the West -- despite 62.80 percent of people owning a smartphone, according to Google figures.

A 2011 survey led by Emil Ng Man-Lun of Hong Kong University's Family Institute found that just five percent of locals had met a partner online or via an app, compared to 22 percent of Americans, according to Stanford University research published that year.

"Our impression is that this is rising. But by how much it is rising, we are not sure yet," Ng says.

"People think they are a sign of promiscuity. They worry that they get into intimacy too early, without sufficient time for knowing each other. It seems, however, that these theories have not stopped people from using them."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

James Reid denies dating Kim Chiu's sister

MANILA – Actor James Reid denied reports linking him to the sister of Kim Chiu.

Speculations about Reid’s ties with Chiu’s sister surfaced last month after gossip blog Fashion Pulis posted a screen capture of a Facebook post supposedly made by a certain Wendolyn Chiu.

In the post, the two supposedly exchanged several text messages and it was accompanied by the caption, unedited: “kilig much!!!! hahahaha”

Speaking to ABS-CBN News on the sidelines of ABS-CBN's Christmas variety show on Tuesday, Reid stressed that he and Chiu’s sister are just friends.

“Nothing [romantic]. We’ve met each other a couple of times outside. We know each other through common friends. I’m just being friendly,” he said.

Asked if he is courting Chiu’s sister, Reid said: “No. I’m not dating anyone. Right now, no [I’m not ready to enter into a relationship]. I’m so busy I don’t even have time for myself. Maybe next year.”

According to Reid, the speculations about him and Chiu’s sister probably just got “blown up” because she is the sister of a very popular actress.

“I guess it was just a misunderstanding. I haven’t seen her for the longest time. She’s a common friend with Andi [Eigenmann]. That’s how we met,” he said.

Meanwhile, Reid said he is looking forward to 2015 and he is hoping it will be as fruitful as the past year.

“I never expected to achieve this much this year. If I can even achieve half of what I’ve done this year, I’ll be happy,” he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Romantic Valentine's Date Ideas on the Cheap

Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and if you are young, in love and broke, here are some inexpensive ideas to get your romance flowing.

*Admire the view. Many state parks in wintery areas are desolate this time of year and offer great Valentine’s Day packages to entice guests to stay at their lodges. Many even throw in meal packages if they have an onsite restaurant. Sitting in front of a roaring fireplace with a great view of a snowy forest will feel luxurious without sacrifice.

*See a show. If you can't afford to splurge for front row seats at a Broadway Show, check out the show season at your local university. The talent is high and the prices are low. If the show is at an alma mater that will sweeten the experience.

*Make it a lunch date. Many upscale restaurants have lunch menus with smaller portions of the dinner menu for smaller prices. You can start Valentine’s Day early in the day and still have plenty of time for other activities.

*Make sweets. Take a class at a local bakery. Many bakeries offer classes on everything from making cupcakes to elaborate cookie decorating. Factor in that you get to take home your dessert and the cost can be minimal.

*Get in the spirit. Shop local by checking out the spirits stores around your neighborhood for wine/beer/liquor tasting events. Many events are free while others charge a fee but offer hors d’oeuvres.

 *Take a stroll down memory lane. Revisit places you went when you first met. Chances are if that was a while ago when your wallet was even emptier, those places are less expensive than ones you frequent now.

*Gaze at the stars. Many planetariums and observatories have shows that are open to the general public for nominal or no fees.


 Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a budget buster. Be creative and pick something personal and sentimental that your partner will appreciate.

source: infobarrel.com

Sharon, Gabby have nothing against Paulo Avelino

MANILA – Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion have nothing against Paulo Avelino after the actor admitted that he is currently dating their daughter, actress KC Concepcion.

In two separate interviews with “Buzz ng Bayan” aired on Sunday, both said they are not going to intervene with their daughter’s love life as long as KC is happy.

“Ay ayoko makialam! Pero okay lang sa akin basta masaya si KC. 'Yun lang,” Cuneta said.

As for Gabby, he said: “Basta kung sino ang mamahalin mo, at mahal mo okay sa akin yun. Basta ang importante doon, naipapakita nila ang concern nila sa isa’t isa.”

Gabby added that he likes people who are respectful and kind.

“Binati niya ako. It doesn’t matter [kung nagpapalakas], ang importante magalang siyang tao. Gusto ko 'yung mga taong ganun, mabait, magalang and marunong rumespeto,” he said.

Following Avelino’s admission on national television two weeks ago, KC clarified on her Twitter account that she is not exclusively dating the actor.

“Hi. So... I am not dating anyone EXCLUSIVELY. At least not yet! Just wanted to clear the air! Goodnight, Philippines,” she said.

KC then posted another tweet after several minutes confirming that she is seeing the “Honesto” actor but is still single as of the moment.

“To those asking: Yes @mepauloavelino & I enjoy each others company, yes we spend time, but nothing serious right now! I am still single,” she said.

Avelino, on the other hand, said he did not intend to make it appear that he and KC are already serious with each other.

“Like what I’ve said in the interview, we’re dating. Dating with me is having dinner, talking -- nothing more than that,” he said.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Rayver Cruz dating a beauty queen?

MANILA – Actor Rayver Cruz denied reports linking him to Binibing Pilipinas 2013 semi-finalist Imee Schweighart.

A report of entertainment website Pep.ph said a photo of the two where they appeared to be sweet to each other went viral online in the past week.

Clarifying the matter, Cruz said: “Sanay na ako kasi siyempre pag may lumabas na pictures na ganyan, sasabihin agad girlfriend. Pero hindi, we’re just hanging out, we’re friends.”

Cruz said he met Schweighart through Dianne Medina, the girlfriend of his brother Rodjun.

“Malambing kasi ako sa mga friends ko. Kung kay Maja [Salvador] nga malambing ako, kay Shaina [Magdayao]. Kaya kong yakapin ang lahat. Sobrang dami kong kaibigan na babae,” he told Pep.ph.

While saying there is nothing romantic going on between them, Cruz admitted that he finds Schweighart beautiful.



“Nagagandahan ako sa kanya, she’s really beautiful. Kahit naman sinong makakita ng litrato niya, sasabihing maganda siya. Beauty queen talaga. Sobrang bait niya, sobrang sweet, ang sarap niyang kausap sa edad niya. I think she’s 20 yata," he said.

Cruz also appealed to the public to spare Schweighart from such rumors.

“Hang out lang talaga, magkaibigan lang kami ni Imee. Kaklaruhin ko ‘yan kasi kawawa naman, nadadamay na naman, nali-link na naman sa akin, sasabihin bagong girlfriend ko,” he said.

Courting Liz Uy?

Cruz also denied that he is courting celebrity stylist Liz Uy.

“Yun nga, si Ate Liz nadadamay. Matagal ko nang kaibigan 'yun, dati pa. Kasi nga, malambing talaga ako sa mga friends ko. Si Ate Liz, tawa nang tawa, tumawag sa akin, ‘Little bro, pati ako nadadamay.’ Sabi ko, huwag na lang niyang pansinin,” he said.

Cruz said he just missed Uy because it has been a while since they last saw each other.

Cruz’s last relationship was with actress Cristine Reyes. The two separated amicably late last year but it was only in January that they announced it.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Jake Cuenca denies dating Cristine Reyes

MANILA – Actor Jake Cuenca has denied that he is currently dating actress Cristine Reyes after several photos of them together made the rounds online.

In an interview with “The Buzz” on Sunday, Cuenca said he and Reyes are just good friends and there is nothing more than that.

“Magkaibigan lang kami nun. We have a very good understanding. Isa siyang friendship na ayaw kong sirain,” he said.

Cuenca, however, admitted that Reyes is an attractive woman. “Alam niyo naman si Cristine, isang napakagandang babae na talagang kapag katrabaho mo, hindi mo kayang tigilang tignan,” he said.

Despite this, Cuenca maintained that both of them are happy being single.

Cuenca was previously linked to actress Lovi Poe, while Reyes’ last romantic relationship was with actor Rayver Cruz.

source: abs-cbnnews.com