Grindr agrees to £26m UK settlement

A British law firm is accusing the queer dating app Grindr of passing on its users' sensitive data to third parties - including their HIV status. Grindr agrees to a settlement with the plaintiffs.

The dating app Grindr has agreed to a settlement of 26 million pounds (around 30 million euros) against the background of allegations of violations in the handling of user data. This is intended to settle a group lawsuit in Great Britain, according to a statement from the company to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Founded in 2009, the platform claims to be one of the world's largest dating platforms for gay, bisexual, trans and queer people.

A British law firm, which claims to have led the class action lawsuit against Grindr, accuses the app of passing on users' personal data and sensitive information to third-party companies without the necessary consent. "The data shared may have included highly sensitive personal information, such as HIV status," the firm's website said.

"Grindr denies the allegations but recognizes the distress and loss of trust expressed by some of its UK users relating to this period prior to 2020," Grindr said in the statement. The company belonged to a Chinese owner. Today the company belongs to an international group of investors.