Grindr to pay £26m to settle claims it allegedly shared users' HIV status

Image source, Getty ImagesByLiv McMahonTechnology reporter Grindr has agreed to pay £26m to settle a lawsuit over allegations it shared users' personal information - including their HIV status - with third parties.

• Grindr used to target victims, police believePublished2 days ago.

O maior aplicativo de namoro LGBTQ+ do mundo foi processado no Tribunal Superior em 2024 por alegações de que abusou das informações pessoais das pessoas.

The class action suit was later served in the US, with the law firm leading the case saying it had signed up more than 11,000 claimants.

According to a US regulatory filing, Grindr will make two £13m payments to settle the claims. The firm said the settlement includes no admission of liability.

Grindr enfatizou que as alegações se referem a “historical data practices” antes de 2020, quando era propriedade da empresa chinesa Kunlun.

The filing submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, external by Grindr said a settlement had been reached on 2 September.

Enquanto Grindr contesta as alegações, reconhece e reconhece a angústia e perda de confiança expressas por alguns de seus usuários do Reino Unido em relação ao período anterior a 2020," a empresa disse em seu documento.

The firm has agreed to pay £13m to the counterparties by 31 December and a further £13m by 31 March 2027.

The claims brought more than two years ago by law firm Austen Hayes alleged Grindr had shared sensitive data with third parties for commercial purposes, breaching UK privacy laws.

Ele afirmou que isso incluía informações sobre a etnia e orientação sexual de seus usuários.

People on Grindr have the option to share their HIV status along with when they were last tested - a move it says aims to reduce stigma, facilitate conversations and help users make informed health choices.

Chaya Hanoomanjee, the lawyer who led the claim, said in April 2024 claimants had "experienced significant distress" over their sensitive and private information being shared without their consent.

Ela disse que a empresa "deve à comunidade LGBTQ+ que atende compensar aqueles cujos dados foram comprometidos.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Grindr became a publicly-listed company in 2022, two years after it was taken over by new owners.

Two data analytics services, Apptimize and Localytics, were identified as third parties with access to the sensitive data.

A alegação afirmou que um número potencialmente ilimitado de terceiros usou-o para personalizar anúncios para os usuários do Grindr.

It followed revelations in 2018 that Grindr had been sharing personal data, including the HIV status of its users, with the two data analytics providers.

Grindr defended the practice at the time as in line with industry standards – but it said it then stopped sharing HIV data with those companies.

It was fined £5. 5m by Norway's data protection watchdog and, later in 2022, reprimanded by the UK Information Commissioner's Office for its data practices.

A empresa disse em seu documento apresentado na sexta-feira que, desde 2020, havia “reformulado” suas práticas de privacidade para ajudar a atender as “necessidades únicas de sua comunidade”.

Grindr is and remains a safe space for users, committed to transparency, user control, and responsible data practices," it said.

Two popular gay dating platforms removed from Apple app store in China.

Grindr defende compartilhamento de dados relacionados ao HIV.

Em números

• Grindr pagará £26 milhões para resolver alegações de que teria compartilhad