Grindr is being sued.
The LGBTQ+ datingappis accused of sharing its users medical data with advertisers.
This data includes their HIV status.
UK law firm Austen Hays filed the claim at Londons High Court yesterday.
The class action lawsuit represents hundreds of users of the app.
Austen Hays claims that US-based Grindr breached UKdata protectionlaw by selling sensitive data to third parties without users consent.
Aside from medical facts, this includes info about peoples ethnicity, sex life, and sexual orientation.
Grindr allegedly sold this information to advertising companies including Localytics and Apptimize.
These third parties either used the data for their own targeted advertising or sold it to a fourth party.
The lawsuit also suggests that these companies kept some of the shared data for themselves.
Austen Hays said thousands more people across the UK may have been affected.
Austen Hays believes some users could be entitled to thousands of pounds in compensation.
Grindr was founded in 2009 to make it easier for gay men to meet up.
It has since grown into the worlds largest dating app for the LGBTQ+ community.
In 2021, Norway fined Grindr 6mn for failing to comply with the GDPR, Europes data privacy law.
The Nordic countryupheld the decision last year.
However, Grindr appealed against it.
Story bySion Geschwindt
Sion is a freelance science and technology reporter, specialising in climate and energy.
