Grindr settles UK privacy lawsuit over HIV status data-sharing for £26 million ($35.2M)

Grindr agreed to pay £26 million (about $35 million) in two installments to settle a UK class action alleging it shared roughly 12,000 users' sensitive data, including HIV status, with ad and analytics partners without consent; the settlement includes no…

Grindr will pay £26 million ($35.2 million) — two lump sums of £13 million each, due by December 31, 2026 and March 31, 2027 — to settle a UK group privacy claim, according to an SEC filing. The lawsuit, filed in April 2024 by London firm Austen Hays on behalf of roughly 12,000 claimants, alleged that during 2016–2020, when Grindr was owned by Beijing Kunlun Tech, the free app shared sensitive data including HIV status, last HIV test date, PrEP use, ethnicity, and sexual orientation with third parties without adequate consent. Infosecurity Magazine identifies the recipients as analytics providers Apptimize and Localytics, while The Record reports Grindr's statement that data was shared in encrypted form with two service providers; Grindr continues to dispute the allegations and the settlement contains no admission of liability. The settlement follows earlier regulatory action: Norway's Data Protection Authority fined Grindr €6.5 million in 2021 over ad sharing without a valid legal basis, and the UK ICO issued a reprimand in July 2022. Grindr says it overhauled its privacy program after its 2020 sale to new owners. The distribution method for settlement funds has not been confirmed.

• Settlement amount: £26 million (~$35.2 million), paid in two £13 million installments due December 31, 2026 and March 31, 2027
• Roughly 12,000 UK claimants represented by London law firm Austen Hays
• Lawsuit filed April 2024, covering free-app users' data practices from 2016 to early 2020 under Beijing Kunlun Tech ownership
• Allegedly shared data included HIV status, last HIV test date, PrEP use, ethnicity, and sexual orientation
• Infosecurity Magazine names analytics providers Apptimize and Localytics as recipients; Grindr says data was shared in encrypted form with two service providers
• Settlement reached September 2, 2026 and disclosed via SEC filing; no admission of liability
• Prior enforcement: €6.5 million Norwegian DPA fine in 2021 and UK ICO reprimand in July 2022
• Grindr says it overhauled its privacy program after its 2020 sale to new owners; settlement distribution method unconfirmed