Grindr, known for being the world’s largest LGBTQ+ dating app, has been sued after allegedly releasing users’ HIV status and other personal information to third parties, breaking UK data policy laws. 

The case was taken by the law firm Austen Hays and was lodged at the High Court in London. It alleged that “covert tracking technology” was used to share sensitive personal information that breached British data protection laws.

Austen Hays states as of now, there are over 650 claimants, and “thousands” of UK users could be affected. The lawsuit alleges that content related to users’ HIV status and their last HIV test was illegally shared between Grindr and companies including Apptimize and Localytics from 2018 to 2020.

Grindr changed its consent mechanisms in 2020, so users who joined the app after that will most likely not be affected by this claim. According to Austen Hayes, if this case succeeds, claimants may receive thousands of pounds, with the BBC stating that the law firm hopes to claim more than £100,000 (€116,028) in compensation.

Grindr says it will “respond vigorously” to the claims, with a spokesperson saying the company takes privacy “extremely seriously”. They added that the claim “appears to be based on a mischaracterization of practices from more than four years ago.”

However, Chaya Hanoomanjee, the lawyer leading the case, said “Grindr owes it to the LGBTQ+ community it serves to compensate those whose data has been compromised”, adding that her clients “experienced significant distress over their highly sensitive and private information being shared without their consent”.

This isn’t the first time that Grindr has faced backlash for sharing users’ HIV status to third-party companies. In 2018, there was a report published by Norwegian researchers stating that Grindr had been sharing personal information and the app was fined in 2021 for violating the General Data Protection Regulation. 

Grindr claimed the selling of information to these companies was in line with industry standards and that it was being sold to monitor the app and enhance the users’ experience. They claimed to stop sharing information about their users’ HIV status in 2018.

Grindr currently has an estimated 13 million monthly users, and claims to be the largest social networking app for bi, gay, trans and queer people.