Grindr to Pay £26 Million After Users Alleged HIV Status Was Shared With Advertisers

Grindr has agreed to pay £26 million to settle a UK High Court group action brought on behalf of about 12,000 users who alleged the dating app shared highly sensitive personal information, including HIV-related information in some cases, with third parties for advertising purposes before 2020.

The settlement resolves the legal proceedings but does not amount to a court finding that Grindr was liable. Grindr disputes the allegations, and the settlement contains no finding or admission of liability.

Under the settlement, Grindr will make two £13 million payments, with the first due by 31 December 2026 and the second by 31 March 2027. If divided equally among 12,000 claimants, the £26 million settlement would average about £2,167 per claimant, although that does not necessarily represent the amount each person will receive.

What Did Grindr Users Claim?

The legal action concerned alleged privacy violations involving data practices used before early 2020, when Grindr was owned and controlled by Chinese conglomerate Kunlun.

Austen Hays issued the claim in England and Wales on 22 April 2024, alleging that Grindr had shared sensitive personal information with third parties without adequate user consent. The information identified in the claim included potential HIV status, the date users were last tested, and information relating to PrEP.

The allegations were particularly significant because information concerning health, sex life and sexual orientation receives special protection under UK data protection law.

Grindr has not accepted that it acted unlawfully. In its regulatory filing announcing the settlement, the company said it continues to dispute the allegations while acknowledging the distress and loss of trust expressed by some UK users over the historical period.

Why HIV Data Became a Privacy Flashpoint

The UK case follows years of scrutiny over Grindr's handling of sensitive information.

In 2018, Grindr said it would stop sharing HIV status and other sensitive information with third parties for purposes including analytics. That earlier change did not resolve all of the privacy issues later examined by regulators and raised in the UK litigation.

In July 2022, the Information Commissioner's Office reprimanded Grindr after finding that the company had failed to provide effective and transparent privacy information to UK users. The ICO's investigation examined Grindr's processing of personal and special category data, including its stated legal bases for sharing data with third-party advertising partners.

The ICO's 2022 investigation covered Grindr's processing from June 2020 onwards, whereas the UK settlement relates to alleged practices before 2020.

The latest UK claim does not establish that Grindr currently shares users' HIV information with advertisers.

Grindr Says Its Privacy Practices Have Changed

Grindr was sold to new owners in 2020, ending Kunlun's ownership of the company. Two years later, Grindr became publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Grindr said it has since overhauled its privacy programme, focusing on what it described as the needs of its community. The company said it remains committed to transparency, user control and responsible data practices.

The £26 million settlement relates specifically to allegations concerning historical conduct before the change in ownership.

What the £26 Million Settlement Means

The settlement provides compensation to thousands of UK users while avoiding a trial and without requiring Grindr to admit liability.

For the claimants, the agreement resolves their legal action over alleged handling of highly sensitive personal information.

For Grindr, the settlement closes a significant dispute involving practices from an earlier period of the company's history while allowing it to maintain its position that the allegations have not been proven against it.

The distinction is important: the £26 million payment is the result of an agreed settlement, not a court ruling that Grindr unlawfully shared users' HIV information.

The case nevertheless illustrates the legal and reputational risks for dating platforms that handle intimate information about users' health, relationships and identities.