LAW360 – Feb 4 – Grindr is auctioning its Android users' personal data, including the sexual orientation and exact GPS location of its largely LGBTQ user base, to the highest bidder without their consent, a user has said in a proposed class action filed in New York federal court. According to the complaint, Grindr instructs users to read the privacy policies of MoPub's "more than 160" partners prior to giving consent for their data to be shared. Given the sheer amount of reading a user would have to accomplish upon sign-up, Grindr users are unable to provide informed consent because it's next to impossible to read each advertising partner's privacy policy before the app times out.
Category: All Gay
Fraudsters Used Grindr to Spoof Ads on Roku Apps and Devices
BUZZFEEDNEWS – Jan 27 – In just the past three weeks, Grindr has been slammed by the Norwegian Consumer Council for exposing users' personal information, suspended from Twitter's ad network as a result of that investigation, and alleged to have been the way a Michigan hairstylist met the man who brutally murdered him. Adding to those concerns is new research showing that Grindr's Android app was exploited by ad fraudsters in a scheme that stole money from advertisers. Amin Bandeali, CTO of Pixalate, the Palo Alto ad fraud detection firm that identified the scam, said Grindr was likely targeted because of its large user base. Here's how the scam worked: A normal banner ad was bought on Grindr's Android app. The fraudsters then attached code that disguised the Grindr banner ad to look like a Roku video ad slot. This fake ad space was sold on programmatic advertising exchanges, the online marketplaces where digital ads are bought and sold. So cheap banner ads were used to resell more expensive video ads.
Grindr’s New Owner May Be Italian
WEHOVILLE – Jan 23 – According to Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera, Bending Spoons, an app developer based in Milan, has made a bid for Grindr. Grindr, currently owned by Chinese Kunlun Tech, has been ordered by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment to sell its stake in Grindr by June 2020. Bending Spoons and a group of Italian banks have offered $260M to buy Grindr.
Credit Suisse Halts Work on Chinese Gay Dating App Blued’s IPO
BLOOMBERG – Jan 13 – Credit Suisse Group AG has stopped working on the upcoming U.S. IPO of Chinese gay dating app Blued. Credit Suisse joins other investment firms, including Citigroup and Bank of America that in recent months have dropped off the U.S. debuts of high-profile Chinese companies. It wasn't clear why Credit Suisse dropped off Blued's IPO, but it did so before the company filed publicly. Founded in 2012 by former policeman Geng, Blued has become an icon for the Chinese LGBTQ community and attracted ~$130M in venture capital as of March last year. Besides providing dating services to 40M users, the app also offers live streaming and connects men who want to become parents with overseas surrogates. Blued has said it's eyeing an IPO ideally in the U.S., which offers a simpler process and deeper capital markets.
by Julia Fioretti & Lulu Yilun Chen
See full article at Bloomberg
Alibaba Praised by China’s Gay Community for Ad Recognizing Same-sex Couples
REUTERS – Jan 9 – Alibaba Group has released subtle ad that features a gay couple returning home for the Lunar New Year. The spot began to circulate widely on Chinese social media as gay groups praised it for its good-natured humor and subtlety. Depictions of gay and lesbian individuals in entertainment and media are rare, due to government dissuasion or outright censorship. However, China has vibrant gay communities and activists in its major cities, and same sex couples are increasingly tolerated across society.
Sexual Health Programs Are Using Gay Dating Apps to Get Users Tested for HIV
by Arno Pedram
See full article at NBC News
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Personals Instagram Account Became Wildly Popular for Its Queer Personal Ads
WASHINGTON POST – Dec 27 – After starting in 2017, Personals Instagram page became a hugely popular place for people to meet a partner or to make a friend, attracting 60K followers. Last month, founder Kelly Rakowski took the next step of turning it into its own app, Lex, creating a rare queer-centric platform for romance and friendship. Lex was financed by a Kickstarter campaign that raised $50K. The profiles look similar to those on Personals – minimalist, no photos – but users can message privately and set geographic boundaries.
Grindr to Offer Screenshot Blocking, Ability to ‘Unsend’ Pics
ADVOCATE – Dec 12 – Grindr has debuted new safety and security features, as well as a guide, to protect users in anti-LGBTQ countries. Grindr will now allow users to unsend messages and photographs from conversations with other users. The feature would allow a user to delete their own messages and pictures from a conversation, removing the content from both user's histories. Additionally, Grindr will also institute screenshot blocking for conversations, pictures, and profiles, in order to protect users in locations where being LGBTQ is illegal or may put them in danger.
Positive Singles Launches POZ Gay Dating Service
NEWSWIRE – Dec 9 – Positive Singles launches its POZ gay dating services. The service aims to help singles with STD find love.
Scruff CEO: Why LGBT+ Dating Apps Should Be Run by LGBT+ People
GCN – Dec 5 – Eric Silverberg, CEO of Scruff, shared why he believes it is important that gay dating apps be run by gay people. Scruff originally began in the gay bear community but has expanded to be used by a diverse cross section of the gay community. People use the app to find hookups, dates and to plan travel. Scruff prides itself as a friendly and safe space on the Internet. Scruff is actually one of only a small few gay dating apps which are owned and operated by gay people. "If you have leaders who are not a part of the community, you can't influence them via social and emotional appeals, only through economic appeals, Mr Silverber says. "The people at a company have to use their own product – there's a very fundamental principle in that."