Hundreds have joined a UK class action lawsuit against LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr, seeking damages over a historical case of the company allegedly forwarding users’ HIV status as well as other sensitive data to third-party advertisers.
This data included a user’s HIV status and their last test date, their sexual preferences, and their GPS location – all of which were added to public profiles by users and later gathered up by Grindr’s trackers.
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (NO DPA) fined Grindr 65 million Norwegian kroner in 2020 ($5.9 million at today’s exchange rate) for violating GDPR’s consent rules. NO DPA’s case didn’t mention any violations regarding the sharing of HIV data or information about a user’s sexual preferences. However, it ruled that third parties had received a user’s GPS location, IP address, advertising ID, age, gender, and the fact that they used the app, and concluded that Grindr had disclosed user data to third parties “for behavioural advertisement without a legal basis.”
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) said in October last year it was pushing for the FTC to probe the app maker after finding that it was retaining user data even after accounts were deleted – a practice Grindr’s privacy policy explicitly says it wouldn’t do.
There are other hookup websites yall. Adam4adam has always been more responsive then grindr for me. Could be different in your area I guess.
What data isn’t up for sale?
Data that someone don’t have.
Ooh boy. In the states, that’d be a Big Fucking HIPAA Violation and they’d be pretty seriously boned. As in: they might be fined out of existence.
I assume the UK has some similar mechanisms. I will say that it’s more than a bit shocking that literally ANYONE at ANY LEVEL at Grindr thought this would be in any way, shape, or form morally or legally justifiable.
Edit: yeah, they’re not a covered entity so not applicable. Still unbelievably shitty.
Actually no, Grindr is not a HIPAA covered entity (Such as a healthcare provider or clinic) or a “business associate” of a covered entity (Such as a Third-party to process and/or transmit medical data on behalf of a covered entity)
Now if Grindr had Grindr owned STD clinics that people got tested at and somehow that info got onto the app that would be a HIPAA violation.
An app asking you and you providing STD status freely, or any medical status for that matter, isn’t. (Unless it’s an app that bills itself as a medical something)
HIPAA only applies of its your doctor or a medical institution does it. it doesnt stop people you may know/businesses unrelated to the field from disclosing said info.
In the states, that’d be a Big Fucking HIPAA Violation
Is it though? If memory serves, users willfully providing medical info isn’t a breach, unlike if they accessed that info directly from the doctor.
As people have said, it’s actually perfectly legal in the US, horrifyingly.
But the UK has very strict data protection laws which we inherited from when we were in the EU, and medical data is explicitly considered sensitive. If they actually did sell medical information, they’re in deep shit, legally.
Unfortunately it’s not a HIPAA violation. That only covers medical providers. No one else is beholden to HIPAA.
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Download whatever looks good and forget about the name?
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How long before this gets acquired by Match Group? They seem to have infinite funds for acquisition.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Hundreds have joined a UK class action lawsuit against LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr, seeking damages over a historical case of the company allegedly forwarding users’ HIV status as well as other sensitive data to third-party advertisers.
A total of 670 individuals have joined the class action, filed today in England’s High Court, and lawyers Austen Hays believe the number could rise into the thousands.
The discovery that the data may have been shared with analytics firms led to heavy criticism of the app maker, which at the time didn’t apologize for its alleged role in the furor, but did alter its privacy policy soon after.
Its then-CTO Scott Chen said Grindr would never sell the kind of sensitive data researchers specified to third parties, and reminded users that any information they themselves added to their profile would become public.
In addition to the claim brought to Grindr in the UK, the company is also facing flak in the US, as recently as October 2023, again for alleged data protection failings.
Chaya Hanoomanjee, managing director at Austen Hays and the lawyer leading the UK claim, said: "Our clients have experienced significant distress over their highly sensitive and private information being shared without their consent, and many have suffered feelings of fear, embarrassment, and anxiety as a result.
The original article contains 848 words, the summary contains 216 words. Saved 75%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
What are you even advertising to those people? Is there something that people with HIV are really into collectively? I mean despite medication, but that is free in the UK, right?
