ALBAWABA – June 4 – Lebanon's decision to block Grindr was slammed on Wednesday by Amnesty International as "a deeply regressive step, and a blow" for the human rights of the local LGBTI community. The app was blocked following an order by the country's telecommunications ministry issued on Friday. A decades-old law in Lebanon punishes sexual relations "contrary to nature" with up to one year in prison.
Category: All Gay
Tinder Study: 1 in 5 LGBTQ People Come out on the Internet First
BUSINESS INSIDER – June 3 – According to a recent survey by Tinder, the LGBTQ community is more likely to come out online before formally coming out to friends or family. Tinder surveyed 1K LGBTQ users and asked them about their experiences coming out, being out, and having queer relationships.
Hinge Saw 30% Increase in Gay Profiles After Pete Buttigieg Revealed He Met Husband On It
TOWLEROAD – May 29 – Pete Buttigieg's revelation that he met his husband Chasten on the gay dating app Hinge spurred a sizable increase in profiles created by gay men. There's been a 30% increase in profiles created by gay, male individuals since April 1.
Grindr’s IntoMore Magazine Looses Millions of Visits
THEGAYUK – May 28 – After the effective disbanding of its editorial team, Grindr's online magazine, Into has lost millions of visitors. Into was the world's most read LGBT+ news site, topping ~7.5M hits per month according to SimilarWeb, however after it was announced that the site’s editorial team had been let go, the site has lost over 7M monthly visitors.
Lebanon Blocks Grindr in Latest Attack on LGBT+ Community
INDEPENDENT.CO.UK – May 28 – Grindr has been blocked for most users in Lebanon, sparking concern over a widening crackdown on the LGBT+ community in the country. Lebanon has traditionally been seen as more forward-thinking with regards to LGBT+ rights in comparison to the rest of the Middle East. But despite some gains in recent years, the community still faces widespread discrimination.
Gay Dating App Taimi Launches in Singapore
GAYSTAR NEWS – May 25 – Singapore is the first country in Southeast Asian Taimi has launched in. Male homosexual sex remains criminalized in Singapore under British colonial-era law, Section 377A. While the law is rarely enforced, LGBT rights supporters in Singapore have made numerous calls for Section 377A's repeal. The company says they will not share personal information with the authorities of countries where same-sex sexual activity may be illegal or be met with persecution.
Grindr’s Data Misstep and Scramble to Make up
REUTERS – May 22 – Early last year, Grindr's Chinese owner Beijing Kunlun Tech gave some Beijing-based engineers access to personal information of millions of Americans such as private messages and HIV status, prompting U.S. officials to ask it to sell the dating app. After taking full control of Grindr in January 2018, Beijing Kunlun Tech stepped up management changes and consolidated operations to cut costs and expand operations in Asia. In the process, some of the company's engineers in Beijing got access to the Grindr database for several months. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a government panel that scrutinizes foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies, worried that Grindr's database may include compromising information about personnel who work in military or intelligence. China's foreign ministry said it was aware of the situation with Grindr and urged the US to allow fair competition and not politicize economic issues. Grindr hired a cyber forensic firm and a third-party auditor at CFIUS’s behest to report on its compliance and to make sure the data was secure. Kunlun kept trying to salvage the Grindr deal until as recently as last week, when it said it would sell it by June next year.
Grindr Is Falling Out of Favor
WASHINGTON POST – May 20 – Grindr has received backlash for one blunder after another. The Kunlun Group's buyout of Grindr raised alarm among intelligence experts that the Chinese government might be able to gain access to the Grindr profiles of American users. The app faced scrutiny after reports indicated the app had a security issue that could expose users' precise locations and their HIV status. Also, Scott Chen, the app's straight-identified president, may not fully support marriage equality. "It still feels like an app from 2009," says Brooks Robinson, a 27-year-old marketing professional in Washington." Robinson now prefers meeting people on Scruff. In the past several years, Grindr users have widely reported that spambots and spoofed accounts run rampant. "Grindr made stalking someone a little too easy," says Dave Sarrafian, a 33-year-old artist and barista in LA.
Blued Launches Blued Queer Flicks
THE SIASAT DAILY – May 15 – Blued, a gay dating app, has launched their first ever queer film making contest called Blued Queer Flicks. The contest will be followed by a screening scheduled to be taken place on June 8, 2019, in Delhi. ~60 entries have been received since the contest was launched in April. Out of the total received entries, there are 10 selected contestants whose short movies will be shown at the fest and the winners will be awarded the cash prizes and awards. The movies are based on queer themes, struggles, love, fun, education and social perception.
Beijing Kunlun Tech Must Sell Grindr by 2020 Over US National Security Fears
BLOOMBERG – May 14 – Beijing Kunlun Tech, The Chinese owner of Grindr, is required to sell the app by June 2020 under an agreement with US officials who raised national security concerns about the app's ownership. Under the agreement, Beijing Kunlun Tech can't access information about Grindr's users and transmit any sensitive information to any entities based in China.