Recent attention was drawn to the dating app Chispa, marketed to Latinos and developed by Affinity Apps, LLC, following a disturbing incident reported by KPTV on May 23, 2025. According to the report, two women in Salem, Oregon were arrested for a shooting after allegedly using the Chispa dating app to lure a victim with the intent of robbing him. This violent event, where a dating platform was reportedly used as a tool to facilitate a crime, served as a catalyst for a broader examination of Chispa’s developer, Affinity Apps, LLC, and its portfolio of other niche dating applications.
This scrutiny has extended to the company’s other platforms, such as Yuzu (for Asian dating), Upward (for Christian dating), BLK (for Black singles), and Salams (for Muslim dating). The existence of these demographically-targeted platforms, brought into sharper focus by the alleged criminal misuse of Chispa, has raised questions about their potential societal impact. Specifically, concerns have been voiced that these apps might inadvertently lead to the exclusion of non-denominational white and other individuals from the wider dating pool, potentially influencing long-term demographic representation.
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