VOX – Apr 4 – A gay psychiatrist went on Grindr to survey men. He asked them why they're on the app how it's affecting their relationships and mental health. The most common reason users gave for going on the app is sex. Though there is this new attention to sexual health, both Grindr and the research community have been silent on mental health. Yet since 2007, more gay men have died from suicide than from HIV. Grindr may provide men with some relief from their anxiety and depression. But it's temporary. Not all Grindr users are addicted and depressed, of course. Some users use Grindr in a healthy, positive way.
Category: Grindr
Grindr Changes Its Policy Of Sharing Users’ HIV Status With Outside Vendors
LOS ANGELES TIMES – Apr 3 – Grindr will stop sharing users' HIV statuses with third parties after a report disclosed that the company passed the information on to two vendors. Grindr's vendors, Apptimize and Localytics, were fed user data that includes HIV statuses, GPS data, phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
Grindr Sends HIV Status To Third Parties, And Some Personal Data Unencrypted
TECH CRUNCH – Apr 2 – Grindr is under fire again for inappropriate sharing of HIV status with advertisers and inadequate security on other personal data transmission. Norwegian research outfit SINTEF analyzed the app's traffic and found that HIV status, which users can choose to include in their profile, is included in packets sent to Apptimize and Localytics, services for testing and improving mobile apps. The company's CTO said that "the limited information shared with these platforms is done under strict contractual terms that provide for the highest level of confidentiality, data security, and user privacy." Also, the SINTEF researchers found that precise GPS position, gender, age, ethnicity, relationship status, language and others are sent over HTTP to a variety of advertising companies.
Security Flaws In Gay Dating App Grindr Expose Users’ Location Data
NBC NEWS – Mar 28 – Grindr suffers from two security issues, according to Trever Faden, CEO of the property management startup Atlas Lane. He created a website called C*ckblocked that allowed users to see who blocked them on Grindr after they entered their Grindr username and password. Once they did so, Faden was able to gain access to a trove of user data that is not publicly available on user profiles, including unread messages, email addresses, deleted photos, and the location data of users, some of whom have opted to not share their locations publicly. Faden also discovered a separate security flaw related to location data that did not require users to log in to any third-party apps or websites with their Grindr credentials. Grindr said it was aware of the vulnerabilities and had changed its system. This is not the first time that issues with Grindr's security around location data has been reported.
Grindr To Offer H.I.V. Test Reminders
Grindr App Loophole Allows Users To See Who Blocked Them
PINKNEWS – Mar 19 – A massive loophole in Grindr's code is allowing guys to see exactly who has blocked them on the app according to developer Trever Faden. He says that the app currently attaches an invisible list of restricted profiles to each user's account, so the app knows not to display guys to someone that has blocked them. With a little effort it's possible to retrieve the list of user IDs from the code. Faden has since built a web tool called 'C**kblocked' that lets people sign into their Grindr accounts and see the list for themselves.
Lawsuit Against Grindr Dismissed
LEXOLOGY – Mar 16 – The lawsuit was dismissed under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act which continues to act as one of the strongest legal protections for social media companies. The case involved a dispute between Grindr and an individual who was maliciously targeted through the platform by his former lover. Plaintiff Herrick alleged that his ex-boyfriend set up several fake profiles on Grindr that claimed to be him. Over a thousand users responded to the impersonating profiles. Herrick's ex‑boyfriend, pretending to be Herrick, would then direct the men to Herrick's work-place and home and telling them that he had certain rape fantasies. The impersonating profiles were reported to Grindr (the app's operator), but Herrick claimed that Grindr did not respond, other than to send an automated message. When Congress enacted Section 230 of the CDA in 1996, it sought to provide protections that would permit online services to thrive without the threat of crippling civil liability for the bad acts of its users. Over 20 years since its passage, the Act has indisputably served that purpose.
Grindr In Hot Water For Allegedly Divulging Users’ HIV Status
SPUTNIK NEWS – Mar 16 – Dating app Grindr has been found to be sharing users' immune status with an external company in a possible violation of EU rules, prompting indignation across Scandinavia. The Norwegian Consumer Council is considering reporting the dating app, national broadcaster NRK reported. An investigation carried out in collaboration between national Swedish broadcaster SVT and the Norwegian research institute SINTEF, presenting itself as "Scandinavia's largest independent research company," found out that the sensitive data the users submit about themselves, including age, sexual preferences, gender and, most importantly, HIV status, is being transmitted unencrypted. Therefore, the deeply personal information can be easily accessed by computer buffs. Additionally, the information about the users HIV status is being shared with an external company headquartered in the US. At present, common EU legislation imposes requirements about the protection of and handling of personal data once it is moved outside of Europe.
Queer Dating Apps Need To Protect Their Users Better
by Norman Shamas
See full article at Slate.com
Ventura County HIV Increase Triggers Concerns About Hookup Apps
