The Dating Site That Matches Based on Your Browser History
© Freepik
Imagine unlocking connections with potential partners based not on polished profiles or filtered photos, but by the authentic quirks hiding in your browsing history. That’s the idea powering Browser Dating, an experimental dating site launched by digital artist Dries Depoorter. With a one-time €9 fee and an unusual promise of honesty, it aims to redefine how we truly get to know someone.
How It Works
- Install & Upload. Users add a Chrome or Firefox extension that exports up to 5,000 of their most recent searches, covering days, months, or even years. They can then upload it securely to the site.
- AI-Powered Personality Insight. An AI analyzes the data to create a “browsing personality profile,” revealing interests, curiosities, and habits.
- Match by Behavior, Not bio. Instead of swiping on looks, users receive matches based on shared or complementary browsing instincts—highlighting, for example, late-night Wikipedia research or weekend DIY searches.
The result? A platform where vulnerability and authenticity could outweigh carefully curated dating personas.
Why It Matters
Traditional dating platforms, like Tinder and Hinge, thrive on the illusion of polished perfection—crafted photos, witty blurbs, and selective self-presentation. Depoorter wants something different. As he puts it, “There’s honesty in that”—your raw, unfiltered internet usage laid bare. While conventional apps guide users to present idealized images, Browser Dating puts the real, messy person first.
Privacy & Ethical Questions
Handing over your most private browser history is no small commitment. Though data is processed locally via Firebase—and Depoorter assures users it’s never shared with third parties—concerns linger about digital security, the reliability of AI interpretation, and the potential for sensitive topics to be exposed in “personality” synopses.
Since its launch last week, the platform has attracted fewer than 1,000 users. Moreover, early reactions have been polarized—from intrigued appreciation (“wildest idea ever”) to cautious skepticism about the data’s intimacy and implications.
The Bigger Picture: Art Meets Tech
For Depoorter, this isn’t just a dating app—it’s a living art project. His previous works, like “Jaywalking” (using public surveillance footage) and “Die With Me” (a chatroom for phones with under 5% battery), all probe the tension between privacy, connection, and technology. Browser Dating is technology used as social commentary: Can real intimacy emerge when we’re transparent?
Depoorter plans updates, including optional photo uploads, mobile apps, date suggestions, and even friend-matching. Whether this becomes a genuine alternative to mainstream dating or remains an artful experiment depends on whether people are willing to trade their digital shadows for deeper human connection.
You might also want to read: Make Him Yours! This Is How to Easily Attract a Cancer Man
