WSJ: Grindr Sold User Location Data For Years

Engadget reports:

Grindr’s past willingness to share sensitive data may have been more problematic than previously thought. The Wall Street Journal understands precise Grindr user location data was collected from the online ad network MoPub (once owned by Twitter) and put on sale through its partner company UberMedia (now UM) since “at least” 2017.

The LGBTQ dating app curbed the practice when it limited location data collection in early 2020, but there’s a possibility that legacy information might still be available.

An anonymous former senior employee speaking to the Journal claims Grindr initially didn’t believe sharing location data with marketers posed privacy issues. Ad execs reportedly told the company that real-time bidding, or displaying ads based on a user’s immediate location, was transforming the industry.

Read the full article. The WSJ piece is behind a paywall.

How did a Catholic priest come to be outed as a Grindr user last year? The answer is that the location data of the apps users has been available for collection and resale for years in the byzantine maze of advertising networks and location brokers.https://t.co/xASRXGioot

— Byron Tau (@ByronTau) May 2, 2022

Grindr location data was reportedly for sale for at least three years https://t.co/NJK9Ug8qBd pic.twitter.com/1hvmFPZSZj

— Engadget (@engadget) May 2, 2022

Tell Congress to stop companies from abusing our data and protect our privacy: https://t.co/aVoG0cHaJs

— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) May 2, 2022