Settlement includes no admission of liability from Grindr
The settlement closes a two-year legal fight filed at the High Court of England and Wales by London law firm Austen Hays. The firm filed the claim in April 2024 on behalf of UK users alleging that Grindr violated UK privacy laws by allowing advertising firms access to private information during a period up to early 2020.
Austen Hays represented 12,000 UK users in the action. Divided equally, the £26m settlement works out to about £2,167 per claimant.
In a US regulatory filing, Grindr said it had resolved the UK group action related to what it described as “historical data practices before 2020.” The company was founded in 2009 to make it easier for gay men to coordinate hookups and now claims to be the world’s largest dating app for gay, bi, trans and queer people, with millions of users globally.
The California-based dating app said the settlement “includes no findings or admission of liability.” It added: “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.”
Grindr said it has overhauled its privacy programme since 2020 “with a keen focus on the unique needs of its community.” The company added that it “is and remains a safe space for users, committed to transparency, user control and responsible data practices.”
The pre-2020 timing matters because of Grindr’s ownership history. Beijing Kunlun Tech, the Chinese gaming company, owned and controlled the app during the period the lawsuit covers. About six years before the settlement, a US government national-security panel raised concerns about Grindr’s Chinese ownership and the company was sold to new owners who installed new management. Roughly two years after the sale, Grindr floated on the New York Stock Exchange.
Under the settlement terms, Grindr will pay £13m by the end of 2026 and a further £13m by the end of March 2027. Austen Hays’s parent company, Gateley, was contacted for comment.