Grindr to pay out $35 million in UK HIV data-sharing settlement
The app was accused of sharing users’ personal data, including their HIV status.
The Grindr app. By Shutterstock.
- Grindr will pay $35 million to settle a UK lawsuit over alleged sharing of sensitive user data.
- The lawsuit represented about 12,000 UK users and included claims involving HIV status and test dates.
- Grindr disputes the allegations and says the settlement includes no findings or admission of liability.
- The company says the data practices happened before 2020 under previous ownership.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Grindr, the most popular LGBTQ+ dating app, has chosen not to face allegations that it shared users’ personal data, including their HIV status, with third-parties, in a UK court. It will pay £25 million ($35 million) to settle the lawsuit instead.
The class action lawsuit, brought in 2024 on behalf of around 12,000 clients, claimed that Grindr violated UK privacy laws by sharing sensitive data for commercial purposes such as advertising.
The problem arose in 2018 when a Norwegian non-profit research group SINTEF discovered that Grindr was sharing users’ HIV status and even the date when they were last tested with 2 companies, Apptimize and Localytics, which were hired to optimize its apps.
“We discovered that Grindr contains many trackers, and shares personal information with various third parties directly from the application,” SINTEF said.
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Reacting to these claims, Grindr insisted it had never sold personal user information to third parties or advertisers and said this was all a misunderstanding because actually, the data shared with Apptimize and Localytics was restricted and encrypted.
Norwegian regulators weren’t convinced, though, and fined Grindr $11.6 million in 2021 for violating the General Data Protection Regulation. Norway’s court of appeal upheld the fine last year.
UK users moved next, with a large group of them suing Grindr for violating British privacy laws through a claim filed by Austen Hays, a law firm.
The UK Information Commissioner’s Office also issued Grindr with a reprimand after finding that it had infringed the UK’s GDPR.
Now, in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on September 2nd, Grindr said it settled the suit. It will pay $17.5 million by December 31st, 2026, and a further $17.5 million by March 31st, 2027.
“The settlement includes no findings or admission of liability. While Grindr disputes the allegations, it recognizes and acknowledges the distress and loss of trust expressed by some of its UK users regarding that pre-2020 period,” reads the filing.
According to Grindr, the data sharing issue arose due to “historical data practices before 2020,” when the app was owned by the Chinese gaming firm Beijing Kunlun Tech.
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That year, after the US government raised concerns that personal data of American users could be accessed and used by China’s government, Grindr was sold to the investment group San Vicente Acquisition LLC.
Grindr also said it has been tinkering with its privacy program since 2020 and is focused on the “unique needs of its community.”
“Grindr is and remains a safe space for users, committed to transparency, user control, and responsible data practices,” claims the company.
Austen Hays represented 12,000 people who will now receive an average compensation of $2,928 – if, of course, the $35 million is equally distributed.
