Personal Grindr data shared and then sold

The spotlight is on dating app privacy after Grindr location data was allegedly shared. 

The spotlight is on dating app privacy after Grindr location data was allegedly shared. 

Popular gay dating app Grindr has been accused of selling the location data of millions of users to a digital ad network.

An article in the Wall Street Journal on Monday claimed the location data, which could determine whether two users had been in close proximity to each other, was collected through a digital advertising network and made available for sale.

The article referred to the case of a senior US Catholic Priest who resigned last year after data allegedly linked him to Grindr. The dating app has said they do not believe the leak came from them.

Grindr argued that since changing their privacy practices in early 2020, thereby ending the flow of age, gender and location data to digital ad networks, the sale of detailed user data by one of these ad networks would be impossible.

Most mobile dating apps say they share "limited information" with marketing or ad partners, including a users estimated location through an IP address, which is now the case for Grindr.

WSJ sourced "people familiar with the matter", who said clients of a mobile-advertising company including UM have been able to purchase bulk phone-movement data from Grindr users for years.

The information was available for sale since at least 2017, and historical data may still be obtainable, according to the unnamed sources. 

When contacted for comment, Grindr's VP of Communications referred to a statement he had written on Monday, critical of the article. He said the statement also applied to all Australian users of Grindr. 

Patrick Lenihan referred to the sale of the data instead as "historical vulnerabilities in the ad-tech ecosystem that were improperly exploited to allegedly obtain data from some of Grindr's former ad partners".

Lenihan said Grindr does not share users’ precise location, user profile information, or "even industry standard data like age or gender". He added that since early 2020, they shared less information with ad partners than any of the big tech platforms and most of their competitors. 

"Grindr works with a limited number of ad partners who we review semiannually against rigorous data privacy and best practice standards," he said.

Lenihan said the privacy of their LGBTQ+ users was taken very seriously.

"The issues threatening the LGBTQ+ community are real – issues like homophobia, prejudice, and state sponsored surveillance and violence, among others."

"Protecting privacy and protecting the LGBTQ+ community is and must be an ongoing effort for all of us."

Charles Sturt University Senior Computer Science Lecturer Dr Ashad Kabir said there is always a risk that your data could be shared or sold when using mobile apps and sharing information online.

He said Google and Apple app stores were required to have privacy policies, but people often weren't bothered to read them. 

"If you are using the technology, someone is watching at the backend always," he said.

They are a business, so they are looking at how to make money. You either charge the user to use the app or sell the data to ad companies to make money out of that. We need to accept the truth that you either pay money to use the app or you might be compromising your data.".

He said it would be "very easy for a company to identify what is happening between two people" in the case of dating app location information.

A spokesperson for dating app Bumble told The Oz "Bumble does not sell personal user data. Bumble stores different types of data for different reasons and stores and secures each separately.

Location data is obfuscated and generalised so it is impossible to triangulate the exact location of a particular user. Bumble does not store historical location data."

When The Oz asked Tinder about their privacy policies, they said: "We do not sell data to third parties or depend on advertising to maintain or grow our business. Our business model is focused on providing members with premium features, including in-app upgrades and subscriptions, to enhance their experience on our app."