Tinder, Grindr Share User Data With Advertisers Without Permission: Report

Jan. 16, 2020

Ten popular apps, includingdating appslike Tinder, OKCupid and Grindr, have been found sharing people’s personal information with dozens of digital marketing and ad tech companies without users’ knowledge, according to a new study. The only way for many users to protect their information, the study conducted by the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) says, is for them to have never installed the apps at all.

The apps tested include the dating apps Grindr, Happn, OkCupid, and Tinder; theperiod trackerapps Clue and MyDays; the makeup app Perfect; the religious app Muslim: Qibla Finder; the children’s app My Talking Tom 2; and the keyboard app Wave Keyboard,ZDNet reportedon Wednesday.

Only the Android versions of these apps were tested, with NCC explaining that this was due to Android being the largest mobile operating system worldwide, in addition to Google being a key player in the ad tech industry, the report added.