Grindr, the Social Networking App for Homosexuals, in Trouble for Sharing User’s HIV Status

Grindr the geosocial networking app for has landed itself in hot water, over reports that it leaked HIV status of its users. The news has broken out in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal. The app is now being investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office and has been accused of sharing the details of the users with two third-party companies, according to a report by a Norwegian non-profit organisation called SINTEF.  Apart from user’s HIV status, the app is also being criticised for sharing sexual tastes and other personal details of its users with these companies.

The app was launched in 2009 and it presented itself has a one-of-a-kind dating app that helps members of the LGBT community socialise with one another. With around 3.6 million daily active users, Grindr also offers its members the option of declaring their HIV status along with their last tested date. The move is to ensure transparency among the potential suitors since the rates of HIV are disproportionately high among the gay community. But as per the allegations of SINTEF, this confidential data has been leaked to two other companies.

The app had always positioned itself as a responsible brand, which had its own web magazine that covered social and cultural issues of the gay community. And one of the optional services provided by Grindr also includes a reminder for users to get themselves tested every three to six months. The app had also initially denied its involvement in the scandal when the news broke out initially through a tweet.

But in a strange move, the app published another troubling statement in its privacy policy: “It’s important to remember that Grindr is a public forum. We give users the option to post information about themselves including HIV status and last test date, and we make it clear in our privacy policy that if you choose to include this information in your profile, the information will also become public. As a result, you should carefully consider what information to include in your profile.”

After the inevitable uproar that followed, the app officially announced that it had stopped sharing the user’s HIV status with third-party companies, also adding that most of the data shared was encrypted and therefore, of no use to the advertisers. Only information related to the age, interests, location and relationship status of the users is shared, which doesn’t include HIV status. While speaking to Axios, Grindr’s head of security Bryce Case said that the issue was blow out of proportion, following the hullabaloo surrounding the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

But despite Grindr’s best efforts at downplaying the issue,  the scandal has dented its credibility among its trusted users. This has fuelled the ongoing debate about the safety of sharing sensitive information online and how it can be used by corporations to further their own commercial gains. The incident also calls for reworking existing legal frameworks to stop exploitation of private data of users.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 04, 2018 07:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).