Grindr, a popular hookup app, has agreed to a substantial payout in the U.K. following a lawsuit accusing the company of selling sensitive user information, including HIV status, to advertisers. The California-based company has settled the claim filed by London law firm Austen Hays, agreeing to pay £26 million (around $48.6 million Cdn) to approximately 12,000 affected individuals.
The lawsuit alleges that Grindr breached U.K. privacy laws by sharing data with third-party companies for financial gain before April 2020, when Grindr updated its consent policies. This shared data included users’ HIV status, recent testing details, PrEP usage, and other personal information voluntarily provided by users on their profiles.
According to the lawsuit, the shared data was utilized by advertising companies like Localytics and Apptimize to tailor ads based on users’ information, and may have been further distributed to additional parties. Austen Hays emphasized that Grindr users might have assumed their submitted information was only visible to other app users, highlighting the breach of trust and privacy concerns.
Grindr plays a significant role in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, facilitating connections for gay, bisexual, trans, and queer adults. Austen Hays stressed the need for accountability to restore user confidence in how Grindr handles personal data. Eligible claimants who used the free app version between 2016 and 2020 are set to receive £2,167 or $4,050 Cdn each from the settlement.
Grindr, as per a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing, clarified that the settlement does not imply any admission of liability. The company acknowledged the distress and loss of trust expressed by some U.K. users regarding the pre-2020 period, despite disputing the allegations made against it.
This U.K. settlement followed a previous incident in Norway, where Grindr was fined for unlawfully sharing free app users’ data. Grindr’s unsuccessful appeal in 2024 affirms the repercussions of their data privacy violations. The company, previously owned by Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd., faced divestment orders from the U.S. government over data handling concerns, eventually being acquired by San Vicente Acquisition LLC in 2020.
Grindr, launched in 2009, claims to be the largest social networking app for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals globally, boasting over 15 million monthly active users. In its recent investor report, Grindr reported generating $138 million US ($190 million CAD) in revenue in the second quarter of 2026.