Grindr, the LGBTQ+ dating app, has agreed to pay £26m to settle a lawsuit concerning allegations it shared users' personal information, including their HIV status, with third parties. The class action suit, initially filed in the High Court in 2024, involved more than 11,000 claimants.
According to a US regulatory filing, Grindr will make two payments of £13m each to settle the claims. The company stated that the settlement does not include an admission of liability.
Grindr emphasised that the allegations pertain to 'historical data practices' from before 2020, when the company was owned by Chinese firm Kunlun. The firm's filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, dated 2 September, acknowledged the 'distress and loss of trust expressed by some of its UK users regarding that pre-2020 period'.
The claims, brought by law firm Austen Hayes, alleged that Grindr shared sensitive data, including ethnicity, sexual orientation, and HIV status, with third parties for commercial purposes, breaching UK privacy laws. Two data analytics services, Apptimize and Localytics, were identified as having access to this data.
Grindr has committed to paying the first £13m by 31 December and the remaining £13m by 31 March 2027. The company stated that since 2020, it has 'overhauled' its privacy practices to meet the 'unique needs of its community' and remains a 'safe space for users'.