Grindr apologizes for 'all the distress' it caused over sharing HIV data

Grindr has issued an apology and promised it will work to regain users' trust after it was revealed that the hookup app for gay and bisexual men had shared sensitive data with third-party vendors.

BuzzFeed News on Monday reported that Grindr was sharing sensitive information users choose to include in their profiles, such as HIV status and "last tested date," with two companies, Apptimize and Localytics.

The Norwegian nonprofit SINTEF, which first identified the issue, said that the two companies were also given users' GPS data, phone ID and email, making it possible for them to identify specific users.

Grindr initially defended its actions – insisting that it was not profiting from the exchange – but later backed down, announcing that it would no longer share HIV status information with third parties.

In a video released on Grindr.com, Jack Harrison-Quintana, vice president of social impact at Grindr, apologized "for all of the distress that we've caused over the past two days."

Harrison-Quintana also reiterated that Grindr did not sell the information, but rather the information was being shared to improve the platform.

"As I mentioned, Grindr has never, nor would we ever, sell user information, especially about HIV status. The only people who have access to Grindr user information are our trusted contractors who help us roll out new features and deliver relevant messages to our users. They aren't advertisers. They're well-respected companies who take privacy and security as seriously as we do," he said.

Harrison-Quintana also promised the company would "work to rebuild your trust