Facebook Dating App: 5 Things To Know If You're Creeped Out

MENLO PARK, CA — Mark Zuckerberg might not be called "Cupid" anytime soon, but the Facebook CEO says he wants to use his company to help users find love. Only, not that "hookup" kind of love. The 33-year-old billionaire — happily married to Priscilla Chan since 2012— announced Tuesday that Facebook will add a dating layer to its main mobile app.

The announcement sent ripples through the dating ecosystem, with stocks plummeting more than 22 percent for now-rival Match Group Inc., the company that owns the massively popular dating apps OkCupid and Tinder.

This app will be different though, Zuckerberg said.

“This is going to be for building real, long-term relationships — not just for hookups,” he joked as he announced the move on stage.

A third of marriages start online, Zuckerberg said — acknowledging that not all the other "dating" sites are solely clicks for hookups. About 200 million Facebook users list themselves as single. Clearly, he said, there's "something to do here."

Zuckerberg has given a lot of lip service to the idea that connecting people in meaningful ways is at the heart of what his company is all about. Facebook seriously started considering a dating service two years ago when thousands of people said they met their significant others on the site.

"We're focused on helping people build meaningful relationships, then this is perhaps the most meaningful of all," he said on stage.

Almost immediately, the internet went into a frenzy over the announcement, posting memes, gifs and taking scorching hot stances. Many made fun of how creepy the change sounds.

Jesse McClaren from BuzzFeed tweeted: "FACEBOOK DATING: Congrats! You two are a match! Our algorithm paired you together because you both sleep in the same position!"

BOTH: "Uh...how do you know which position w---"

FACEBOOK DATING: -"LOL! Enough chitchat! Go enjoy your date, Lovebirds!"

Sam Sanders of NPR, along with executives from Match Group, noted the peculiar timing of the announcement.

"PEOPLE: Facebook is scary sometimes and who has my data and what about my privacy?! Does FB need to ask itself some big questions about its role as the new public square?! Is this company taking advantage of me?!"

If you're one of those people who thinks a Facebook dating service is creepy or strange, here are five things to know:

1. It's entirely optional. To use the app, you have to opt in. Facebook's big-wigs stressed that safety and privacy would be key, something the company has faced backlash over in recent weeks over its handling of sensitive data in the Cambridge Analytica scandal. If you create a profile for the dating app, it your Facebook friends won't be able to see it.

2. Dating activity will not appear in a user's News Feed and all communications will be separate from Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

3. Only people who aren't already your friends will be suggested as potential matches.

4. Dating preferences, shared interests and mutual friends will determine recommendations.

5. The prototype does not seem to have a swipe feature that's common on other dating apps, though there were buttons for “pass” and “interested,” Reuters reported.

Photo credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images