Grindr, a popular hookup app, has agreed to a substantial payout following the resolution of a lawsuit in the United Kingdom. The lawsuit accused Grindr of selling sensitive user information, including HIV status, to advertisers. The California-based company has agreed to pay £26 million (approximately $48.6 million Cdn) to around 12,000 individuals who participated in the claim filed by London law firm Austen Hays in 2024.
The claim alleged that Grindr breached U.K. privacy laws before April 2020 by sharing user data with other companies in exchange for financial gains. This data included details such as users’ HIV status, recent testing information, and usage of HIV prevention medication like PrEP. The lawsuit claimed that this information was shared with third-party entities, such as advertising companies Localytics and Apptimize, enabling targeted advertising based on user data.
According to the lawsuit, users voluntarily provided this information and had the option to display it publicly on their profiles. Austen Hays highlighted that Grindr, which plays a significant role in the 2SLGBTQ+ community by facilitating social interactions for gay, bisexual, trans, and queer adults, needs to be held accountable and restore trust in its handling of user data.
Eligible claimants who used the free version of Grindr between 2016 and 2020 will receive £2,167 or $4,050 Cdn each as part of the settlement. Grindr, as a publicly traded company, will make the payment in two installments, with the first half to be disbursed by the end of this year and the remaining portion by March 31, 2027, as per a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Grindr clarified that the settlement does not imply any admission of liability, although it acknowledged the concerns and loss of trust expressed by some U.K. users regarding the pre-2020 period. Notably, Grindr faced a hefty fine from Norway’s government in 2021 for unlawfully sharing user data, a decision that Grindr unsuccessfully challenged in 2024.
During the period between 2018 and 2020, Grindr was wholly owned by Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd., which also held a majority stake since 2016. Following a U.S. government directive due to data handling concerns, a group of private investors known as San Vicente Acquisition LLC acquired Grindr for $620 million US in 2020.
Grindr, touted as the world’s largest social networking app for 2SLGBTQ+ individuals, boasts over 15 million monthly active users globally. In its latest financial report, Grindr disclosed generating $138 million US ($190 million CAD) in revenue during the second quarter of 2026.
