Exposed: Dating Giant Grindr Stung for €30m Over «HIV Data Leak» Scandal

The world's largest LGBTQ+ dating app ends a two-year legal battle with a landmark payout.

The world’s largest LGBTQ+ dating app, Grindr, has agreed to pay €30 million to settle a UK lawsuit alleging it shared users’ highly sensitive personal information, including their HIV status, with third-party advertising companies.

The Case

The claim was brought more than two years ago by UK law firm Austen Hayes, which alleged that Grindr had shared sensitive data with third parties for commercial purposes, in breach of UK privacy laws. The data reportedly included users’ ethnicity, sexual orientation, and HIV status. According to BBC News, the lawsuit was filed at the High Court in 2024 over claims that the app misused personal information.

People on Grindr have the option to share their HIV status, along with when they were last tested — something the company has said it introduced to reduce stigma, facilitate conversations, and help users make informed health choices. The claim, however, alleged that this information was passed on commercially without proper consent.

The Settlement

As part of a deal struck on 2 September, confirmed in a filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Grindr will pay €15 million by 31 December (this year), followed by a further €15 million by 31 March 2027.

«While Grindr disputes the allegations, it recognizes and acknowledges the distress and loss of trust expressed by some of its UK users regarding that pre-2020 period», the company said in its filing, as quoted by the Guardian.

Grindr has stressed that the claims relate to «historical data practices» before 2020, when the app was owned by the Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech, and says it has since «overhauled» its privacy practices to meet the «unique needs of its community».

«Significant Distress’

Chaya Hanoomanjee, the lawyer who led the claim, said in 2024 that claimants had “experienced significant distress» over their sensitive and private information being shared without their consent, a quote carried in both the BBC and Guardian reports.

It wasn’t the first time Grindr had drawn regulatory scrutiny over its data practices. The company was fined €6.4 million by Norway’s data protection watchdog and, in 2022, reprimanded by the UK Information Commissioner’s Office for its data handling. Reporting noted the company later stopped sharing HIV data with the companies concerned.

Our sources:

• BBC News — “Grindr to pay £26m to settle claims it allegedly shared users’ HIV status”
• The Guardian — “Grindr pays £26m to settle UK lawsuit over allegedly sharing users’ HIV status”
• Reuters — original 2024 filing coverage