Grindr agrees £26m settlement with UK users who allege their HIV status was shared
Around 12,000 people were represented by Austen Hays. If the settlement is divided equally, each claimant would receive around £2,167
By Callum Wells
Grindr has agreed to pay £26m to settle a legal claim brought by thousands of its UK users.
The users alleged that the dating app shared sensitive personal information with advertising companies, including HIV status in some cases.
According to the Guardian, settlement follows a two-year legal dispute. Austen Hays filed the claim at the High Court of England and Wales in April 2024, alleging that Grindr had breached UK data protection laws through its handling of user information before 2020.
Each claimant is set to receive around £2,167
Around 12,000 people were represented by the London-based law firm. If the settlement is divided equally, each claimant would receive around £2,167.
The information at the centre of the claim included users’ HIV status and the date they were last tested. Austen Hays also said other sensitive information, including whether users took medication such as PrEP, may have been shared with third parties.
The period covered by the claim largely predates Grindr’s change in ownership. Until 2020, the app was owned and controlled by Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech.
Grindr said in a US regulatory filing that the settlement related to “historical data practices before 2020”.
What has Grindr said about the £26m UK settlement?
The company said: “The settlement includes no findings or admission of liability. 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.”
Under the agreement, Grindr will pay £13m by the end of 2026. A further £13m is due by the end of March 2027.
The settlement comes after years of scrutiny over Grindr’s handling of personal information.
In 2018, the company said it would stop sharing users’ HIV status with third-party companies. The move followed research in Norway that found information was being shared with two companies.
Why has Grindr faced scrutiny over its data practices?
Norway’s data protection authority fined Grindr 65m Norwegian krone (£4.8m) in 2021 over its data protection practices. Grindr appealed the decision, but Norway’s court of appeal upheld the fine in October 2025.
Grindr also received a reprimand from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office in 2022 after the regulator found that it had breached UK GDPR rules.
The app was sold to investment group San Vicente Acquisition for $608m in 2020 after concerns were raised in the US about the security of American users’ data under Chinese ownership.
What does Grindr say about its privacy practices now?
Grindr said it has since overhauled its privacy programme “with a keen focus on the unique needs of its community”.
It added: “Grindr is and remains a safe space for users, committed to transparency, user control and responsible data practices”.
Austen Hays’ parent company, Gateley, said: “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.
“We thank our clients for trusting us with this sensitive case.”