Grindr has agreed to pay £26m ($35m) to settle a lawsuit brought against the company in the UK.
By David Hudson
Law firm Austen Hays raised the claim on behalf of 12,000 UK-based users of the app. It alleges Grindr violated UK privacy laws in a period leading up to early 2020. Specifically, it alleges Grindr shared data relating to users’ ethnicity, orientation and HIV status with some advertisers. This is illegal in England and Wales.
If all the claimants receive an equal share of the payout, they can expect around £2,167 ($2,900) each.
The alleged violations occurred when the Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech owned Grindr.
Grindr does not accept liability
After the US government raised concerns about the Chinese company controlling the data of so many US citizens, Kunlun sold Grindr in 2020 to investment group San Vicente Acquisition.
It is now publicly listed. As such, it must issue regular reports to investors. Its latest regulatory filing included details of the settlement.
The filing states, “On September 2, 2026, Grindr resolved the … UK group action related to historical data practices before 2020, when Grindr was owned and controlled by the Chinese conglomerate Kunlun. The settlement includes no findings or admission of liability. 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.
“Six years ago Grindr was sold to new owners and appointed new management. Two years later it became a publicly listed company on the New York Stock Exchange.
“Since 2020 Grindr has overhauled its privacy program with a keen focus on the unique needs of its community. Grindr is and remains a safe space for users, committed to transparency, user control, and responsible data practices. As part of the settlement, Grindr agreed to pay £13.0 million to the counterparties by December 31, 2026, and £13.0 million by March 31, 2027 (the equivalent of approximately $17.6 million, respectively, using the exchange rate as of September 3, 2026).”
Previous fine over alleged selling of data
This is not the first time Grindr has run into trouble over the alleged selling of data. In 2021, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority fined the company €6.5m ($7.5m) for not giving users the chance to opt out of their data being sold to third parties. Grindr has since introduced changes to give users greater permission over how their data is used.
Responding to the new settlement, a spokesperson for Austen Hays told The Guardian, “While Grindr disputes the allegations, it recognises and acknowledges the distress and loss of trust expressed by some of its UK users regarding that pre-2020 period.
“We thank our clients for trusting us with this sensitive case.”
Source: https://www.queerty.com/grindr-to-pay-a-whopping-35m-to-settle-with-thousands-of-users-20260908/
