Exclusive: EBU prepares Cease and Desist against dating platform ROMEO

By Oliver Bernd Koch, Berlin.

Shortly before the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, the gay dating platform ROMEO has landed itself in hot water over a user survey. As Jenny Weinand, Head of Media Law at the EBU, confirmed to me exclusively, the EBU—the organizer of the Eurovision Song Contest—is currently preparing a cease and desist order against the Amsterdam-based company.

EBU identifies trademark infringement  The conflict centers on a survey in which ROMEO appears to have infringed upon the EBU's trademark rights. For weeks, a Google Forms survey displayed an (outdated) Eurovision Song Contest logo alongside the ROMEO brand, suggesting a cooperation that, according to Weinand, never existed. After I confronted ROMEO with these allegations on May 6, 2026, the survey was taken offline within minutes—however, the problematic header remained accessible for a time. ROMEO has not yet responded to an official request for comment via email.

Survey generates "Data Trash"

The apparent trademark violation is not the only reason this survey is problematic. The methodological failure begins right at the entrance of the funnel. ROMEO is breaking its own brand promise: an organization that positions itself as a "secure network" for its community should not abandon its users to an external Google link for a simple opinion poll.

This platform break is exacerbated by a mandatory Google login, which systematically excludes privacy-conscious users. Furthermore, while the invitation in the app was localized, the form itself was entirely in English without prior warning, causing additional drop-outs. What remains is not a representative cross-section of the community, but a skewed sample of engaged, English-speaking, and Google-loyal users.

Inside the form, the technical incompetence continues. While the headline promises a dialogue about "thoughts," the items almost exclusively measure fan intensity and viewing habits. Particularly absurd is the lack of filtering logic: users who explicitly state they are "not interested" are held "hostage" and forced to answer mandatory questions about favorites and boycott situations. The questions themselves are methodologically overloaded, mixing location, company, and motivation into a single column.

This is topped off by a deliberate political vagueness: by only vaguely alluding to the boycott situation involving countries like Iceland or Ireland without naming names, ROMEO ensures that every participant is essentially answering a different, imaginary question. The result is not a reflection of community sentiment, but pure data trash.

ROMEO survey under fire again: A repeat offender?

This is not the first time ROMEO has crashed a survey. Back in February 2025, the platform provided a perfect example of what the magazine Siegessäule aptly titled "Headlines instead of facts." In a poll regarding the AfD, they attempted to stir political sentiment without adhering to even the most basic methodological standards.

The criticism at the time was scathing: ROMEO was accused of instrumentalizing its own community for PR purposes and selling worthless data as facts. After a massive public backlash, ROMEO admitted the survey was "not representative" and promised to do better.

However, the "ROMEO Papers" prove today: that promise was worthless. Fifteen months later, we see the exact same pattern: a sensationalist title in the front, methodological chaos in the back. The fact that ROMEO is once again relying on Google Forms "tinkering" and manipulative questioning despite explicit warnings suggests intent. For an organization that ignores past criticism to produce the same junk data, the goal is clearly not the community's voice, but media reach at any cost. The learning loop wasn't missed—it was intentionally ignored.

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