Grindr, a popular hookup app, has agreed to a significant payout in a settlement regarding a lawsuit in the U.K. The lawsuit, filed by London law firm Austen Hays in 2024, accused Grindr of selling sensitive user information, such as HIV status, to advertisers. Grindr has agreed to pay £26 million (about $48.6 million Cdn) to approximately 12,000 individuals who joined the claim.
The claim alleged that Grindr breached U.K. privacy laws by sharing user data with other companies for financial gain before April 2020, when Grindr updated its consent policies. This shared data included details like users’ HIV status, recent testing dates, results, and usage of PrEP, an HIV prevention treatment. The lawsuit claimed that this information was shared with third-party companies like Localytics and Apptimize for targeted advertising purposes.
Austen Hays emphasized that Grindr is an important platform for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, facilitating connections and encounters for gay, bisexual, trans, and queer adults. The law firm stressed the need for accountability from Grindr to rebuild trust in how user data is handled.
Eligible claimants who used Grindr’s free version between 2016 and 2020 may receive £2,167 or $4,050 Cdn each. Grindr plans to disburse the settlement, as per a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing, with the first half to be paid by the end of 2026 and the remainder by March 31, 2027.
Grindr clarified that the settlement does not imply admission of liability, but it acknowledged the concerns expressed by some U.K. users about trust and privacy issues predating 2020. This legal action in the U.K. followed a fine imposed on Grindr by the Norwegian government in 2021 for similar data privacy violations.
Grindr, once solely owned by Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd., faced scrutiny from the U.S. government over data handling practices, leading to a divestment order. The app was eventually acquired by San Vicente Acquisition LLC for $620 million US in 2020. Grindr, established in 2009, boasts over 15 million monthly active users globally and reported $138 million US ($190 million CAD) in revenue in the second quarter of 2026.