BuzzFeed News reports that dating app Grindr shared users’ personal information, including their HIV status, name and location, with two outside app optimization firms. This discovery raised concern that the app’s privacy policy may not clearly outline the specific ways in which user data may be used or shared. Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said, “What the law regards as informed consent is in almost all instances uninformed consent.” Grindr Chief Technology Officer Scott Chen said in a statement, “No Grindr user information is sold to third parties. We pay these software vendors to utilize their services.” The company also released a statement about user data and its privacy policy, and the company said it would stop sharing users’ HIV statuses with third-party vendors.
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