Online dating app Grindr has opted to pay £26 million ($35.1 million) to settle a lawsuit in the U.K. over allegations that it shared users' personal information, including their HIV status, with third-parties.
Grindr, which is the largest LGBTQ+ dating app, was sued in April 2024, accusing it of violating U.K. privacy laws by sharing sensitive data for commercial purposes such as advertising. The claims were brought on behalf of more than 10,000 clients.
According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on September 2, 2026, the California-based company said it settled the suit related to historical data practices before 2020, when it was managed by Kunlun. The Chinese gaming company sold the online platform to an investor group called San Vicente Acquisition LLC in May 2020.
"The settlement includes no findings or admission of liability," read the filing. "While Grindr disputes the allegations, it recognizes and acknowledges the distress and loss of trust expressed by some of its U.K. users regarding that pre-2020 period."
The company also said it has since revamped its privacy program as of 2020 and emphasized that the platform "remains a safe space for users," while committing to transparency, user control, and responsible data practices.
As part of the settlement, Grindr has agreed to pay £13 million to the counterparties by December 31, 2026, and a further £13 million by March 31, 2027.
It all goes back to April 2018, when a Norwegian non-profit research group SINTEF uncovered that Grindr was sharing users' HIV status and last tested date with two companies, Apptimize and Localytics, enlisted to optimize its apps. Soon after, the company said it would halt the data sharing practice.
"Grindr has never sold, nor will we ever sell, personal user information – especially information regarding HIV status or last test date – to third parties or advertisers," Grindr insisted at the time. "No advertisers have ever had access to HIV status or last test date, unless they viewed it in your public profile. The HIV status and last test date information was used by Apptimize and Localytics only to provide services to Grindr."
In January 2021, Norway's data protection authority fined Grindr £8.6 million (later reduced to £5.5 million) for violating the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by sharing personal data, such as location, sexual orientation, and mental health details, with advertisers. Grindr challenged the decision but Norway's court of appeal upheld the fine last October.