The statement added that since early 2020, the app shared less information with ad partners than any other big tech platform and its competitors, 'restricting the information we share to IP address, advertising ID and the basic information necessary to support ad delivery'. The activities that have been described would not be possible with Grindr's current privacy practices, which we've had in place for two years,' he said. 'Grindr users value privacy, and we have put our users' privacy first even when it meant lower revenue. In a statement, Grindr spokesperson Patrick Lenihan told It is unclear if the execs knew the data would be accessible to other parties. Similarly, one could make inferences about a user's romantic partners based on the proximity of their device to that of another user's device.Īpp executives reportedly believed sharing real-time location data with advertising networks was not a privacy concern, but instead would allow users to receive targeted ads about nearby restaurants, bars or hotels - something that could be arguably beneficial to singles looking for new date ideas.Īdvertising industry officials said the purchased location data would be used for target ads and to reshape marketing budgets, Grindr executives allege. People familiar with the data told the Wall Street Journal that a user's address and workplace could be identified by analysis of their patterns, habits and routines.
Mobile advertising company clients have been able to purchase phone movement data of Grindr users in bulk for many years. Grindr is catching heat after precise location data for millions of users was collected from a digital advertising network and sold to outside parties 'We do not share user profile information, and we do not share even industry standard data like age or gender,' he said. In a statement to, Grindr spokesperson Patrick Lenihan denied that the app shared users' 'precise location', and has shared less information with ad partners since 2020. While the app has updated its privacy settings to prevent this data from becoming accessible, many allege users' historical data may still be obtainable. government detailing the intelligence risks of commercially available information, The Wall Street Journal reported.Īlthough the information did not disclose names or phone numbers, experts allege some of the data was detailed enough that one could make inferences about a person's identity and romantic partners.Īnalysts claim location data of Grindr users had been sold to advertisers since at least 2017. Grindr - which touts itself as the world's largest social networking app for gay, bi, transgender and queer individuals - is one of several platforms prompting concern among national security officials.ĭata collected from the app, which has millions of users, was used as part of a demonstration by the U.S. A popular gay dating app is catching heat after precise location data for millions of users was collected from a digital advertising network and sold to outside parties.