Study: Grindr shares sensitive information, including user location and sexual orientation
A warning from national security officials to anyone using the popular gay dating app Grindr.
The latest warning follows a report published Tuesday by the Norwegian Consumer Council that alleges Grindr - and 9 other Android dating apps - gave user data to third parties involved in advertising and profiling.
The report accuses Grindr of transmitting sensitive information, including a user's exact location, sexual orientation and other information, on its estimated 3 million daily users worldwide.
Grindr is a top concern for the Justice Department, according to NBC News. The app is owned by the Chinese gaming company Kunlun Tech.
"Chinese law requires a Chinese company to share any information that it has with the Chinese government if it's asked for that information for national security reasons," said John Demers, assistant attorney general for national security at the Department of Justice.
Grindr came under fire in 2018 when BuzzFeed reported the company shared users HIV status, leading AIDS advocates to raise questions about health, safety and personal privacy. Grinder later announced that it had stopped the practice.
The latest warning follows a report published Tuesday by the Norwegian Consumer Council that alleges Grindr - and 9 other Android dating apps - gave user data to third parties involved in advertising and profiling.
The report accuses Grindr of transmitting sensitive information, including a user's exact location, sexual orientation and other information, on its estimated 3 million daily users worldwide.
Grindr is a top concern for the Justice Department, according to NBC News. The app is owned by the Chinese gaming company Kunlun Tech.
"Chinese law requires a Chinese company to share any information that it has with the Chinese government if it's asked for that information for national security reasons," said John Demers, assistant attorney general for national security at the Department of Justice.
Grindr came under fire in 2018 when BuzzFeed reported the company shared users HIV status, leading AIDS advocates to raise questions about health, safety and personal privacy. Grinder later announced that it had stopped the practice.
