Grindr, the dating app that has been accused of doing a bit too much sharing, has agreed to pay £26m to settle a lawsuit over claims it shared users' personal information, including their HIV status, with third parties. The world's largest LGBTQ+ dating app was sued in the High Court in 2024 over allegations it misused people's personal data. The class action suit later made its way to the US, where the law firm leading the case claimed to have signed up more than 11,000 claimants.

According to a US regulatory filing, Grindr will make two £13m payments to settle the claims. The company was quick to note that the settlement includes no admission of liability, because what's a little money between friends when you can maintain your innocence?

Grindr stressed that the claims relate to "historical data practices" before 2020, when it was owned by Chinese firm Kunlun. Ah, the good old days when your HIV status might be shared with data analytics companies without your knowledge.

The filing submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission said a settlement had been reached on 2 September. "While Grindr disputes the allegations, it recognizes and acknowledges the distress and loss of trust expressed by some of its UK users regarding that pre-2020 period," the company said, in a statement that sounds suspiciously like an apology without actually being one.

The firm has agreed to pay £13m to the counterparties by 31 December and a further £13m by 31 March 2027. The claims, brought more than two years ago by law firm Austen Hayes, alleged Grindr had shared sensitive data with third parties for commercial purposes, breaching UK privacy laws. This included information about ethnicity and sexual orientation, because why not throw that in too?

People on Grindr have the option to share their HIV status along with when they were last tested - a feature the app says aims to reduce stigma, facilitate conversations, and help users make informed health choices. Apparently, it also helped third-party advertisers make informed choices about who to target.

Chaya Hanoomanjee, the lawyer who led the claim, said in April 2024 that claimants had "experienced significant distress" over their sensitive and private information being shared without their consent. She noted the company "owes it to the LGBTQ+ community it serves to compensate those whose data has been compromised."

Two data analytics services, Apptimize and Localytics, were identified as third parties with access to the sensitive data. The claim said a potentially unlimited number of third parties used it to customise advertisements to Grindr's users. It followed revelations in 2018 that Grindr had been sharing personal data, including HIV status, with these two providers. Grindr defended the practice at the time as in line with industry standards - which is a bit like saying everyone else is doing it, so it's fine - but it then stopped sharing HIV data with those companies.

Grindr was fined £5.5m by Norway's data protection watchdog and, later in 2022, reprimanded by the UK Information Commissioner's Office for its data practices. The company said in its filing that since 2020, it had "overhauled" its privacy practices to help meet the "unique needs of its community." "Grindr is and remains a safe space for users, committed to transparency, user control, and responsible data practices," it said, presumably with a straight face.

So, if you're a Grindr user in the UK who had your HIV status shared without consent, you might be entitled to a piece of that £26m pie. Just don't expect an admission of guilt - that would be too much to ask.