Tinder suffers sign-in problems following Facebook's privacy changes

Virtual romance has run into a momentary setback -- Tinder has confirmed reports that many users can't sign into its dating service. Those affected are frequently stuck in a login loop where they're asked for extra Facebook permissions, only to be sent back to the original Facebook sign-in request when they tap the relevant button. Others have had success signing in, but have reported losing all their messages or matches. Suffice it to say that this is worrying if you've had your eyes on someone special.

It won't surprise you to hear the cause. Facebook just altered its developer frameworks in the name of improving data privacy, and the social network has confirmed in a statement that these problems were "part of the changes" and that it's "working with Tinder" to fix the problem. We've asked Tinder for comment and will let you know if it can share more.

There isn't word of other services breaking as a result of Facebook's changes, but don't be surprised if other services struggle for a while as a result. Regardless of what happens, the incident underscores one of the problems with the ubiquity of Facebook as a sign-in option: it's very convenient when everything works, but even a minor tweak to Facebook's code can break entire services.