Grindr, a popular hookup app, has agreed to a substantial settlement in the U.K. following a lawsuit that claimed the company sold sensitive user information, including HIV status, to advertisers. The California-based company will pay approximately $48.6 million Cdn to around 12,000 individuals who joined the claim led by London law firm Austen Hays in 2024. The lawsuit alleged that Grindr breached U.K. privacy laws by sharing data with third parties before April 2020, exchanging it for payment or commercial advantages.
Among the shared data were users’ HIV status, recent testing details, and PrEP usage. This information, voluntarily provided by users, could be displayed on their profiles. The lawsuit asserted that Grindr shared this data with entities like Localytics and Apptimize, enabling targeted advertising based on user information. The claim emphasized that users might have assumed their data was only visible to fellow app users.
Austen Hays highlighted Grindr’s significance in facilitating dates and encounters for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, emphasizing the need for enhanced data protection measures. Eligible claimants who used the free app between 2016 and 2020 could receive £2,167 or $4,050 Cdn each. Grindr plans to disburse the settlement, as outlined in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing, with the first half expected by the end of this year and the remainder by March 31, 2027.
Grindr clarified in the SEC filing that the settlement does not imply liability, but it acknowledges the trust issues expressed by some U.K. users regarding the pre-2020 period. This U.K. litigation closely followed a similar case in Norway, where Grindr was fined for unlawfully sharing user data. Despite contesting the decision, Grindr lost its appeal in 2024.
Formerly owned by Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd., Grindr transitioned to private investors following U.S. government concerns about data handling. Subsequent to the divestment order, a group bought Grindr for $620 million US in 2020. Reuters later revealed connections between the purchasing investors and Kunlun. Launched in 2009, Grindr boasts over 15 million monthly active users globally and reported significant revenue in the second quarter of 2026.
The settlement represents a pivotal development in Grindr’s data privacy practices, underscoring the importance of safeguarding user information in the digital age.