NPR - Aug 3 - Grindr is supposed to be for men seeking men. But many underage boys are using it to hook up with adults, and that can put them at risk of exploitation and trafficking. A 2018 Northwestern University study found more than half of sexually active gay and bisexual adolescent boys found sexual partners on Grindr and other apps. Grindr was by far the most popular.
326 posts categorized "Grindr"
Niche Dating Apps Are the Next Big Thing
WALL STREET JOURNAL - Aug 2 - The options range from apps for those committed to sobriety (Loosid) and people on the autism spectrum (Hiki), to matchmakers for fitness buffs (TeamUp), dog lovers (Dig), gamers (Kippo), vegetarians (Veggly) and amateur astrologists (Stars Align, NUiT and the Pattern). "S'More" helps users pair up by shifting the focus from physical appearances to mutual goals and interests. When matches first connect, they see only blurred versions of each other's profile photos, along with bios, hobbies and answers to prompts like "What are your top 3 qualities in a match?" As they exchange messages, their photos gradually un-blur. Christian Mingle was launched in 2001, while Grindr made its debut in 2009 and Tastebuds, which matches people based on their taste in music, showed up in 2010.
10 oddly specific, real dating sites
- Bristlr: For bearded men and women who love beards
- Zombie Passions: For those hung up on the "undead"
- Sea Captain Date: For seafarers seeking their first mates
- Clown Dating: "Everyone loves a clown"
- Mullet Passions: For anyone who likes a good party in the back
- Paranormal Dating: For those with metaphysical fixations
- Equestrian Cupid: Because horse gals and lads deserve love, too
- Sizzlr: For lovers of all things bacon
- Twindog: To help your furry friend find a canine best friend
- Ship: If you want your friends to do your swiping for you
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Grindr Has Been Warned for Years About Its Privacy Issues
VICE - July 22 - For years, security and privacy researchers found serious vulnerabilities in Grindr, allowing them to deanonymize and geolocate users. This week, a Catholic Substack publication said it observed the movements of a priest through his use of the gay dating app Grindr. The publication then outed him without his consent, in a stark reminder that supposedly anonymized app location data can be used to identify and harass people. "Grindr has been, will be, and forever continues to be warned about this. They obviously don't care," said Matt Mitchell, a privacy and cybersecurity researcher. In 2019, a security researcher at Pen Test Partners, a cybersecurity firm in the UK, showed that he was able to "precisely locate and track the users of four major dating apps," including Grindr. "By supplying spoofed locations (latitude and longitude) it is possible to retrieve the distances to these profiles from multiple points, and then triangulate or trilaterate the data to return the precise location of that person," Alex Lomas, the Pen Test Partners researcher, wrote at the time.
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Grindr Poses Exploitation Risk to Minors
GBH NEWS - July 12 - Since 2015, more than 100 men across the United States - including police officers, priests and teachers - have faced charges related to sexually assaulting minors or attempting sexual activity with youth they met on Grindr, according to a GBH News search of public records. More than half of sexually active gay and bisexual boys between the ages of 14 and 17 find sexual partners on Grindr and other similar apps, according to a 2018 study by Northwestern University researchers. Grindr is by far the most popular dating app among teens, the research shows. A growing number of advocates and public officials are calling for reforms to Section 230 to hold companies more accountable for dangers, including their role in sex trafficking. Cheyenne Ehrlich, owner of a company called SaferKid that works to protect children from dangers on the Internet, says lawmakers either have to amend Section 230 or require companies to impose age verification. Ehrlich has Grindr on his top list of most dangerous apps for children because of its adult content.
by Jenifer B. McKim, Phillip Martin & Gabriela Lopez
See full article at GBH News
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It's 2021, Why Are Dating App Algorithms Still so Bad?
WIRED - July 1 - There's been a post-pandemic boom in app downloads, but success rates remain depressingly low. Lockdown was boom time for dating apps. Hinge had a 63% spike in downloads since 2019 and tripled revenue in 2020. May 2021 saw 6.5M+ download Tinder. Tinder and Grindr rank in the top 10 of apps most likely to leave users feeling sad. Most dating apps rely on a combination of stated preferences and collaborative filtering i.e. patterns in who users have said yes or no to. A 2016 study of match rates on Tinder (Queen Mary University) revealed low rates of reciprocal interest: the match rate was 10.5% for women and 0.6% for men. "Machines can only work with what you give them," says Samantha Joel of Western University in Canada, who researches romantic decisions. These complex preferences aren't transparent: people might be embarrassed by something they're drawn to, or even entirely unaware that the preference is there, even as it shapes their behaviour. Compatibility and desirability can be poles apart. We don't always know what we like until it's put in front of us.
by Emma Hughes
See full article at Wired
Mark Brooks: The science of compatibility profiling and matchmaking is entirely, still, a virgin science. Until we open up our databases to academics and data scientists to do proper experimentation, we will continue to clutch at straws when it comes to really provide more than marginal improvements to long term matchmaking. However, there's a LOT of value in just getting showstopper questions out of the way right upfront. i.e. sexuality preferences, marriage status, marriage-minded?, want kids?, got kids? etc.
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Apple's New Policy Doesn't Mean It's Banning Grindr
THE GUARDIAN - June 15 - Apple's announcement last week that it was cracking down on some "hookup apps" sparked widespread confusion and concern that the company planned to remove dating apps - particularly Grindr and Scruff - from its app store. A spokesman from Apple said dating apps such as Grindr and Scruff would not be rejected based on the new guidelines. The guidelines ban "overtly sexual or pornographic material" including "'hookup' apps that may include pornography or be used to facilitate prostitution". The company defines this as "explicit descriptions or displays of sexual organs or activities intended to stimulate erotic rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings". Apple did not name any apps that would be affected.
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Grindr Embraces the Return of Live Events for Pride Month
ADWEEK - June 11 - Grindr is supporting 10 iconic LGBTQ+ venues across the US. The pandemic wiped out most Pride Month in-person events in 2020. Grindr is welcoming the return toward normalcy for Pride Month 2021 with its "Grindr Pride: The Comeback" campaign.
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Apple Says Grindr, Scruff Not Targets of App Store Guideline Change
APPLE INSIDER - June 9 - Apple clarified that a recent change to its App Store guidelines is only targeting illicit apps that use dating as a cover and won't result in the ban of legitimate apps like Grindr or Scruff. Apple's Monday update to App Store Review Guidelines clarifies some existing policies and adds new requirements for apps. One of those changes, guideline 1.1.4, bans "hookup" apps that include pornography or are used to facilitate prostitution.
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Grindr Expands LGBTQ Health Care Access for Employees
AXIOS - June 9 - Grindr is adding a new benefit for its LGBTQ+ employees through the concierge service Included Health. More than 1 in 10 LGBTQ+ Americans polled by American Progress last summer said they were mistreated by a doctor or health care provider. Many said they stopped seeking treatment at all after facing discrimination. Included Health, founded in 2019, was acquired by Grand Rounds Health and Doctor On Demand in May, and is one of a handful of startups trying to address health care barriers experienced by transgender people.
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Grindr Partners With 2021 Global Black Pride Event - "What About Us"
BUSINESSWIRE - June 4 - As part of its ongoing efforts to support the Black LGBTQI community, Grindr has partnered with Global Black Pride, Global Black Gay Men Connect (GBGMC), and Black LGBTQI community-based organizations across the globe to bring the second edition of Global Black Pride. This year, the event's theme will be "What About Us" and will be primarily virtual on June 18th, 2021 at 11:00am - 8:00pm EST on Grindr's YouTube Channel. Founded in 2020, Global Black Pride has become the single largest Black LGBTQI gathering across the globe.
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Do Dating Companies Delete Users' Data?
AVAST BLOG - June 3 - Match Group says that they don't share users' information between sites unless they ask them to, but they also say in their privacy policy that they might share that info for "limited and critical purposes, including for corporate audit, analysis and consolidated reporting, to comply with applicable law, and help keep our users safe." According to the Bumble Privacy Policy, they don't "sell" user data, according to the legal definition of "sell," but they do share demographic data and location with third party advertisers. They also share non-personal data with third parties for "research and analysis." So what happens to all that data when users leave? Unfortunately, the answer isn't so clear, especially for Match Group. But if someone deletes Grindr account, Grindr expunges everything they have about them after seven days. Spark Networks - the owner of Jdate and ChristianMingle - is based in Germany, which means they're subject to the GDPR. They are legally obligated to delete it. Bumble promises to delete users' data starting 28 days after they deactivate it. They say that they retain any information they might need for legal purposes.
See full article at Security Boulevard
See the top news on Match Group See the top news on Spark Networks
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Grindr Sponsors French Second-Tier Rugby Club
BLOOMBERG - May 28 - Players at French rugby club Biarritz Olympique will carry the name and logo of Grindr on their shirts in a rare sponsorship deal that kicks in next season. The club will receive ~$1.2M a year under the deal.
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Police Say Gay Men Targeted for Robbery Using Grindr
OUT - May 6 - Police in Atlanta issued a warning about one and possibly up to three men using Grindr to lure gay men to a remote location where they are robbed. In the last four months at least eight gay men have been robbed, sometimes violently, after the conclusion of a first date with a man they met on Grindr.
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Q.Digital Relaunches LGBTQ+ Into
DIGIDAY - May 4 - Q.Digital, publisher of digital media brands like Queerty and Gay Cities, has relaunched Into, the publication launched by Grindr which shuttered it in January 2019. The new owner says Into will fill a gap in the LGBTQ+ media market by speaking to both the Gen Z and BIPOC community. Q.Digital acquired Into in December 2020 for an undisclosed amount. Grindr had previously shut down Into after a 17-month run, following controversial comments made by Grindr president Scott Chen about same-sex marriage, which led to a few employees stepping down in protest.
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Is It Worth Paying a Premium to Find Love?
THE GUARDIAN - Apr 25 - Tinder has three levels of subscription, Tinder Plus, Tinder Gold and Tinder Platinum, each with different prices. The monthly fee is also linked to age. Users aged ~30 are being charged £27.49 or £29.49, while those under 30 are being charged £13.99 or £14.49. Tinder Plus seemed more random. Some users over 30 are being charged £19.49, most are being asked to pay £4.99, £8.99 or £9.99. Bumble charges £14.99 a month for Bumble Boost, and £32.99 for Bumble Premium. Coffee Meets Bagel charges £34 a month for its Premium service. Grindr also offers a more expensive package - Unlimited, at £31.99 a month. While most apps allow users to pay for premium services for just a month at a time, Plenty of Fish has a minimum premium subscription of three months for £39.99. The minimum time period to subscribe to eharmony's premium subscription is six months for £99.99. The dating and relationships coach Kate Mansfield argues that the most dateable people will be snapped up before they sign up for a paid-for service. Quality, confident people don't need to pay for matchmaking services. Instead of a paid-for app, she advises working on yourself: "Invest in coaching or therapy to get yourself in the best place possible and then use apps' free version to find love."
by Robert Beck
See full article at The Guardian
See the top news on Tinder See the top news on Bumble
See the top news on POF See the top news on Coffee Meets Bagel
See the top news on Grindr See the top news on eHarmony
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