Dating app Grindr blocks location services in and around Paris Olympic village

Is the sex ban back? As it did at the Beijing Winter Olympics, Grindr will prevent location services in and around the Paris Olympic village while Tinder is allowed.

LGBTQ dating app Grindr has taken a leaf out of its Beijing playbook by disabling location services in and around the Olympic village in an attempt to protect athlete privacy and prevent them being outed.

Two years after Grindr blocked location services for the Beijing Winter Olympics, the LGBTQ dating app decided to adopt the same protections for athletes at the Paris Games.

Example of location services being blocked. Picture: Supplied

Grindr ‘s message upon attempting location services. Picture: Supplied

They released a statement on their website on Thursday morning (AEST) confirming the measures, which they said would allow LGBTQ+ athletes to connect with each other “authentically without worrying about prying eyes or unwanted attention”.

“When the Olympics come around, Grindr isn’t just there to watch from the sidelines,” the statement said.

“We’re in the game, with athletes in the host city continuing to use the app the way they do at home and everywhere else—to see who’s around, check out the locals, arrange meetups, and more.

“If an athlete is not out or comes from a country where being LGBTQ+ is dangerous or illegal, using Grindr can put them at risk of being outed by curious individuals who may try to identify and expose them on the app.

“That’s why, at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, we made the decision to disable location-based features within the Olympic Village and other athletic sites. It was our way of ensuring that LGBTQ+ athletes could connect with each other authentically without worrying about prying eyes or unwanted attention.

“And we’re doing the same at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this year.”

Eight years ago an American reporter was accused of outing a number of athletes after using the app at the Rio Olympics to write about dating and the culture at the Games.

Grindr subsequently enacted measures to protect their users at the Beijing Winter Olympics and have repeated those procedures in Paris. They also said they would send weekly reminders to users of the dangers they faced by using the app in the village.

“Being an LGBTQ+ athlete comes with its own unique set of challenges, especially for those who come from places that lack basic rights and protections for our community,” the statement said.

“That’s why we’re taking the additional step of sending targeted safety resources and information, including weekly messages reminding users that they may face danger while using the app in the Olympic Village and sharing links to our multilingual safety resources.”

Originally published as Dating app Grindr blocks location services in and around Paris Olympic village