Grindr Settles £26m Over Alleged Sharing of Users’ HIV Status

Mon Sep 07 2026 18:08:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Grindr settles £26m lawsuit over alleged sharing of users’ HIV status with third parties, highlighting privacy concerns for dating apps.

The world’s largest LGBTQ+ dating app has agreed to pay £26m to settle a class‑action lawsuit that accused it of sharing sensitive personal data – including users’ HIV status – with commercial partners. The dispute centred on data practices before 2020 when Grindr was owned by Chinese firm Kunlun. The settlement comprises two payments of £13m each, with no admission of liability, but it underscores growing pressure on dating platforms to protect users’ privacy. The case also sparked renewed scrutiny of data‑analytics services such as Apptimize and Localytics that had accessed Grindr’s confidential information.

Grindr, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ dating app, has agreed to a £26 million settlement over a UK class‑action lawsuit that accused the company of misusing users’ personal information, including their HIV status, and sharing it with third‑party advertisers.

Background of the Allegations

The High Court saw the claim in September 2024, after a US lawsuit named more than 11,000 claimants. The lawyers alleged that Grindr had supplied sensitive data – ethnicity, sexual orientation, and HIV status – to data‑analytics partners for commercial use, in breach of UK privacy law.

Settlement Details

According to a regulatory filing submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Grindr will make two payments of £13 million each. The first payment must be made by 31 December 2023, and the second by 31 March 2027. The settlement includes no admission of liability.

Company Response

Grindr said it disputes the allegations but acknowledges the distress and loss of trust expressed by users during the pre‑2020 period when it was owned by the Chinese firm Kunlun. The company highlighted that it had ceased sharing HIV data with the two main third parties – Apptimize and Localytics – after 2020 and that its privacy policy underwent a major overhaul. Grindr stressed its commitment to “transparency, user control and responsible data practices.”

Broader Implications

Regulatory bodies have previously fined Grindr – a £5.5 million fine from Norway’s data‑protection watchdog and a reprimand from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office – for similar data‑handling violations. The settlement and the court case raise urgent questions about how dating apps protect sensitive health information and whether users should be better informed about how their data is leveraged by advertisers.

Source: BBC News, 16 September 2024.