Grindr, a popular hookup app, has agreed to a substantial payout following a lawsuit in the UK that accused the company of selling sensitive user data, such as HIV status, to advertisers. The California-based company has agreed to pay £26 million (about $48.6 million Cdn) to approximately 12,000 individuals who joined the claim initiated by London law firm Austen Hays in 2024. The lawsuit alleged that prior to April 2020, Grindr violated UK privacy laws by sharing user data with third-party companies in exchange for compensation or other benefits.
The shared data included details like users’ HIV status, recent testing dates, test results, and whether they were using HIV prevention medication known as PrEP. This information, voluntarily provided by users, could be displayed on their profiles at their discretion. According to the lawsuit, this data was shared with companies like Localytics and Apptimize for targeted advertising purposes, and it may have been further distributed to additional parties.
Austen Hays emphasized that Grindr, which plays a significant role in the 2SLGBTQ+ community by facilitating connections for gay, bisexual, trans, and queer adults, needs to be accountable and regain trust in handling user data. Eligible claimants who used the free version of the app between 2016 and 2020 are entitled to £2,167 or $4,050 Cdn each, if distributed equally. Grindr plans to disburse the settlement in two parts, with the first half expected to be paid by the end of the current year and the remainder by March 31, 2027, as per a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
While Grindr denies the allegations, it acknowledged the concerns expressed by some UK users about the period before 2020. The settlement does not imply any admission of liability by the company. This legal issue in the UK follows a previous incident where Norway fined Grindr for unlawfully sharing data of free app users, a decision that Grindr unsuccessfully appealed in 2024.
Grindr, which is touted as the world’s largest social networking app for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, was previously owned by Chinese company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd. The U.S. government mandated Kunlun to divest its ownership due to concerns over data privacy issues, leading to the acquisition of Grindr by San Vicente Acquisition LLC for $620 million US in 2020. Notably, investors involved in this acquisition reportedly had connections to Kunlun.
Launched in 2009, Grindr boasts over 15 million monthly active users globally. In its recent financial report, the app disclosed generating $138 million US ($190 million CAD) in revenue during the second quarter of 2026.