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Grindr agrees £26m payout to UK users over HIV data sharing claims

Tuesday, 8 September 2026 12:15

By Gaydio

Grindr is paying out £26 million to settle a UK lawsuit brought by thousands of users who claimed the world's biggest queer dating app shared their sensitive personal data, in some cases including HIV status, with third parties.

The settlement ends a two-year legal battle that began in April 2024, when law firm Austen Hays filed a claim at the High Court of England and Wales on behalf of 12,000 users. The claims relate to Grindr's data practices up to early 2020, back when the app was owned by Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech.

In a US regulatory filing confirming the deal, the company said the settlement "includes no findings or admission of liability" and that it continues to dispute the allegations, while acknowledging the "distress and loss of trust expressed by some of its UK users regarding that pre-2020 period."

The £26 million will be paid in two chunks: £13 million by the end of this year, and the remaining £13 million by the end of March 2027. If this is split evenly across all 12,000 claimants, that works out to an average of £2,167 each.

Gateley, Austen Hays' parent firm, said: "We thank our clients for trusting us with this sensitive case."

Founded in 2009, Grindr bills itself as the largest dating app for gay, bi, trans and queer people - with close to 15 million users worldwide. The company was sold in a $608 million deal in 2020, after a US national security panel raised concerns that Chinese ownership meant American users' data could be accessed by the Chinese government. It floated on the New York Stock Exchange in 2022 and is now valued at $2.65 billion.

Grindr says its privacy programme has been overhauled since 2020 "with a keen focus on the unique needs of its community," adding that it remains "committed to transparency, user control and responsible data practices."