Grindr, the popular hookup app, has agreed to a substantial payout in the U.K. following a lawsuit claiming that sensitive user information, such as HIV status, was improperly shared with advertisers. The California-based company will pay £26 million (about $48.6 million Cdn) to approximately 12,000 individuals who joined the claim initiated by London law firm Austen Hays in 2024. The lawsuit alleges that prior to April 2020, Grindr breached U.K. privacy laws by exchanging data with other entities for commercial purposes.
The shared data reportedly included details like users’ HIV status, recent testing information, and PrEP usage, all of which users could voluntarily disclose on their profiles. This information was allegedly passed on to third-party companies like Localytics and Apptimize for targeted advertising purposes, and possibly sold to additional parties.
Austen Hays emphasized that Grindr, a significant platform for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, must be accountable for how it handles user data to maintain trust. Eligible claimants who used the free app version from 2016 to 2020 could receive £2,167 or $4,050 Cdn each. Grindr plans to make the settlement payments by the end of 2026 and March 31, 2027, as per a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
While Grindr denies the allegations and states that the settlement does not imply liability, the company acknowledges the concerns and loss of trust expressed by some U.K. users for the period before 2020. This U.K. lawsuit came after Norway fined Grindr for unlawfully sharing user data in 2021, a decision that Grindr unsuccessfully challenged in 2024.
Grindr, once owned by Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd., underwent ownership changes due to privacy concerns, leading to its acquisition by San Vicente Acquisition LLC in 2020. Despite these legal issues, Grindr remains a prominent social networking app for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, boasting over 15 million monthly active users globally. In the second quarter of 2026, Grindr reported revenue of $138 million US ($190 million CAD) in its latest investor report.