Editing Adult FriendFinder

{{Short description|Internet-based social networking service}}
{{Infobox website
| name             = Adult FriendFinder
| commercial       = Yes
| type             = [[Online dating service]]<BR>[[Social networking service]]<BR>[[Adult dating website]]
| language         = English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Tagalog, Italian
| registration     = Yes
| current_status   = Active
}}
'''Adult FriendFinder''' '''(AFF)''' is an internet-based, adult-oriented [[social networking service]], online dating service and [[Swinging (sexual practice)|swinger]] personals community [[website]], founded by [[Andrew Conru]] in 1996.

In 2007 AFF was one of the 100 most popular sites in the United States;<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-13|title=The rise of vertical search engines|url=https://www.searchenginewatch.com/2020/11/13/the-rise-of-vertical-search-engines/|access-date=2020-11-22|website=Search Engine Watch|language=en-US}}</ref> its competitors include sites such as [[Match.com]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2007/04/01/8403370/index.htm | work=[[CNN]] | first=Joel | last=Stein | title=The Accidental 'Friend' Finder | date=March 30, 2007}}</ref>

==History==
In 1993, Andrew Conru created the first online dating site,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Creator of the First Online Dating Site Is Still Dating Online |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-creator-of-the-first-online-dating-site-is-still-dating-online/ |access-date=2022-05-22 |website=Vice.com |date=16 June 2016 |language=en}}</ref> WebPersonals. After selling that site in 1995, he launched FriendFinder.com, an early social networking site, in 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onlinepersonalswatch.com/news/2007/03/the_accidental_.html |title=The Accidental 'Friend' Finder - Online Personals Watch: News on the Dating Industry and Business |publisher=Online Personals Watch |date=2007-03-30 |access-date=2014-06-25}}</ref> Days after the site went live, Conru found that people were posting naked pictures of themselves and seeking partners for adult-oriented activities. As a result, Conru started Adult FriendFinder, which he described as "a release valve". FriendFinder has since established other niche dating sites, including Senior FriendFinder, Amigos.com, BigChurch.com, and Alt.com.<ref name="autogenerated2007">{{cite web|last=Stein |first=Joel |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2007/04/01/8403370/ |title=Social networking's dirty side |work=[[CNN]] |date=2007-03-30 |access-date=2014-06-25}}</ref>

The parent company (Various, Inc.) had difficulty finding [[venture capital]] due to the adult nature of its business.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/business/27venture.html?n=Top/News/Business/Small%20Business/Innovation |title=A Thaw in Investment Prospects for Sex-Related Businesses? Maybe |author=Matt Richtel |date=July 27, 2007 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2008-02-02}}</ref> In December 2007, the company was sold to the [[Penthouse (magazine)|Penthouse Media Group]] for $500 million.<ref>{{cite web |first= Jim |last= Hopkins |title= Penthouse' makes $500M hookup with social site Various |publisher= USA Today |date= Dec 13, 2007 |url= https://www.usatoday.com/tech/techinvestor/corporatenews/2007-12-12-penthouse_N.htm }}
</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/11/confirmed-penthouse-buys-adultfriendfinder-for-500-million/ |title=Confirmed: Penthouse Buys AdultFriendFinder For $500 Million |author=Duncan Riley |date=2007-12-11 |work=[[TechCrunch]] |access-date=2009-06-08| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090601135926/http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/12/11/confirmed-penthouse-buys-adultfriendfinder-for-500-million/| archive-date= 1 June 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref> Penthouse later changed its name to FriendFinder Networks.<ref>{{cite web |first=Stuart |last=Pfeifer |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-penthouse-bankruptcy-20130918-story.html |title=Penthouse publisher FriendFinder files for bankruptcy protection |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2013-09-17 |access-date=2014-06-10}}</ref> In October 2009, as part of an arrangement with [[The Kluger Agency]],  musician [[Flo Rida]] released a music video for his song "[[Touch Me (Flo Rida song)|Touch Me]]" via Adult FriendFinder. A representative of the agency stated that it was "always great to combine a very sexy high octane record with a very sexy brand.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/10/26/flo-rida-video-premiers-on-adultfriendfinder/ | work=The Wall Street Journal | first=Andrew | last=LaVallee | title=Flo Rida Video Premieres on AdultFriendFinder | date=2009-10-26}}</ref>

On September 17, 2013, parent company [[FriendFinder Networks]] filed for [[Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Valinsky |first=Jordan |url=http://betabeat.com/2013/09/adultfriendfinder-bankruptcy/ |title=AdultFriendFinder Totally F*cked |publisher=Betabeat |access-date=2014-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323527004579080821727792140 |title=Penthouse Publisher FriendFinder Files for Bankruptcy Protection |first=Marie |last=Beaudette |date=September 17, 2013 |work=The Wall Street Journal}}</ref> In December 2013, FriendFinder Networks emerged from bankruptcy protection with reorganization in effect.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bathon |first=Michael |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-16/friendfinder-alters-reorganization-plan-to-win-court-ok.html |title=FriendFinder Alters Reorganization Plan to Win Court OK |publisher=Bloomberg |date=2013-12-16 |access-date=2014-06-10}}</ref> Founder Andrew Conru gained control of the company and is CEO.<ref>{{cite web|author=Andrew B. Conru Ph.D. |url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=8121728&privcapId=4881467&previousCapId=1599586&previousTitle=Friendfinder%20California,%20Inc |title=Andrew Conru: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek |publisher=Investing.businessweek.com |access-date=2014-06-10}}{{dead link|date=April 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==Overview==
Accessing certain features, such as [[e-mail]], private chat rooms, [[webcam]]s, [[blog]]ging, and a web[[zine]], requires paid membership.  Adult FriendFinder has an affiliate program, whereby webmasters are compensated for referring users to the site.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stein |first=Joel |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2007/04/01/8403370/ |title=Social networking's dirty side - April 1, 2007 |publisher=Money.cnn.com |date=2007-03-30 |access-date=2014-06-10}}</ref>

==Criticism==
Adult FriendFinder has been accused of committing systematic billing fraud.<ref>{{cite web|title=Consumer Complaints & Reviews|url=http://www.consumeraffairs.com/dating_services/adultfriendfinder.html|website=Consumer Affairs|access-date=25 October 2014}}</ref>  According to the complaints filed, the company has a practice of continuing to bill customers even after they have cancelled their service.  Former employees of the company have claimed that this is their standard policy and not the result of errors.  These employees have stated that the majority of customers do not notice the charges for many months.<ref>{{cite web|title=Various Inc (alt, adultfriendfinder, houstonpress, fastcupid, etc!) BIGGEST SCAM ARTISTS YET|url=http://dumbfcks.blog.com/2011/07/25/variousinc-biggest/|website=Dumbfcks|access-date=25 October 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141025004309/http://dumbfcks.blog.com/2011/07/25/variousinc-biggest/|archive-date=25 October 2014}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2016}} As of October 2014, hundreds of civil cases have been filed against the company and a criminal indictment was made by the [[Federal Trade Commission]] against the company.<ref>{{cite web|title=Adult-Oriented Online Social Networking Operation Settles FTC Charges|date=6 December 2007 |url=http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2007/12/adult-oriented-online-social-networking-operation-settles-ftc|publisher=Federal Trade Commission|access-date=25 October 2014}}</ref> In 2007, Adult FriendFinder settled with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations that the company had used [[malware]] to generate explicit [[pop-up ad]]s for the service on computers without user consent.<ref>{{cite web |first= Robert |last= McMillan |title= AdultFriendFinder Settles Adware Charges |publisher= PC World |date= June 6, 2007 |url= http://www.pcworld.com/article/140361/article.html |access-date= June 18, 2015 |archive-date= June 18, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150618072955/http://www.pcworld.com/article/140361/article.html |url-status= dead }}</ref>

Adult FriendFinder's acquisition by Penthouse was the subject of a 2007 lawsuit by Broadstream Capital Partners, a merchant bank that assists with mergers, alleging Penthouse breached a 2006 contract by purchasing the company without obtaining Broadstream's consent, a claim Penthouse denies.<ref name="xbizAug3108">{{cite news | first=Tom | last=Hymes | title=Penthouse Denies Every Claim in Broadstream Adult FriendFinder Suit | date=2008-08-31 | url =http://www.xbiz.com/news/98496 | work =Xbiz.com | access-date = 2008-09-02 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080903001252/http://www.xbiz.com/news/98496| archive-date= 3 September 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> The suit was settled for $15 million in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/friendfinder-idUSL3E7I71LN20110707 |title=UPDATE 1-Penthouse publisher settles 2007 lawsuit with Broadstream Capital |publisher=Reuters |date=2011-07-07 |access-date=2014-06-25}}</ref>

== Security breaches ==
In May 2015, Adult FriendFinder was hacked by users associated with the [[Hell (forum)|Hell]] forums,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Stone|first1=Jeff|title=Dark Net Hacking Forum 'Hell' Returns Months After Adult Friend Finder Breach|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/dark-net-hacking-forum-hell-returns-months-after-adult-friend-finder-breach-2041513|access-date=6 August 2015|date=6 August 2015}}</ref> with the hackers stealing personal information about as many as four million of the site's users.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/05/21/adultfriendfinder-data-breach/27723329/ | title=Large online dating site AdultFriendFinder confirms data breach | work=USA Today | date=21 May 2015 | access-date=22 May 2015 | author=Snider, Mike}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://ffn.com/security-updates/faq/ |title= Security Updates FAQ |publisher= Friend Finder Networks |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151125152852/http://ffn.com/security-updates/faq/ |archive-date= 2015-11-25 |date= 2015 |access-date= 2017-09-18 }}</ref>

On November 13, 2016, it was reported that a database of usernames, e-mails, and passwords had been breached and leaked from Adult FriendFinder and other FriendFinder Networks websites. The breach included 300 million Adult FriendFinder user accounts, including account data for 15 million accounts that had supposedly been "deleted". The passwords had either been stored in plain text, or hashed without a [[Salt (cryptography)|salt]] with the obsolete and insecure [[SHA-1]] hashing algorithm.<ref name="verge-affhack16">{{cite web|title=Over 300 million AdultFriendFinder accounts have been exposed in a massive breach|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/11/13/13615750/412-million-adultfriendfinder-accounts-exposed-breach|website=The Verge|date=13 November 2016 |access-date=13 November 2016}}</ref>

==Awards==
The site won the 2010 [[XBIZ Award]] for "Dating Program of the Year".<ref name="xbizwinners">{{cite web |url= http://www.xbizawards.com/winners.php |title=XBIZ Award Winners |work=[[XBIZ]] |date=February 2011}}</ref> It was also voted Best Adult Dating Site of 2012 from [[About.com]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dating.about.com/od/2012-RCAs/ss/Best-Dating-Sites-Book-And-Blog-Of-2012_4.htm |title=Best Adult Dating Site of 2012 |publisher=Dating.about.com |date=2014-05-12 |access-date=2014-06-25 |archive-date=2014-07-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710082641/http://dating.about.com/od/2012-RCAs/ss/Best-Dating-Sites-Book-And-Blog-Of-2012_4.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2022 the site won the XBIZ Award for "Dating Company of the Year".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-01-11|title=XBIZ Awards 2022: Die Gewinner stehen fest|url=https://www.sexportal-vergleich.com/ratgeber/pornos/xbiz-awards-2022-die-gewinner-stehen-fest/|access-date=2022-01-11|website=Sexportal-Vergleich.com|language=de-DE}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Comparison of online dating websites]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adult Friendfinder}}
[[Category:Internet properties established in 1996]]
[[Category:Adult dating websites]]
[[Category:Online dating services of the United States]]
[[Category:Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq]]
[[Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2013]]