PINK NEWS - Nov 30 - Grindr has drawn criticism for pushing out a sponsored advertisement about the HIV-preventative drug Truvada dubbed "misleading" by HIV activists. The Grindr ad states that Truvada has been "linked to kidney failure, bone fractures, and even death, in extreme cases". Truvada, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2004, was a pill long regarded as the goal of research when it came to stemming the global HIV epidemic. "We know that Truvada is very safe," said Matthew Hodson, executive director of HIV advocacy group aidsmap, "as well as being approved for PrEP it is a longtime mainstay of HIV treatment."
301 posts categorized "Grindr"
Grindr Faces Backlash From HIV Activists After 'Misleading' Anti-PrEP Ads
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Grindr Accused of Letting Racist Users Get Away With 'Zero Consequences'
PINKNEWS.CO.UK - Oct 28 - Racist Grindr users often face "zero consequences whatsoever" on the gay dating app, according to researcher Gene Lim, who is currently completing a PhD at Monash University in Melbourne investigating sexual racism. Grindr bans racism and discrimination in its community guidelines, but Lim said that such behaviour often goes unpunished.
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Ethnicity Filters on Dating Apps Raise Questions About Romantic Discrimination
MANCUNIAN MATTERS - Oct 21 - After Black Lives Matter protests shook cities across the world, Grindr opted to remove its 'ethnicity filter', sparking a major debate about romantic discrimination in the digital age. However, many have also expressed opposition to the update, stating that apps should respect the 'preferences' of individual users. Other dating sites were dragged into the mix. Hinge and OkCupid have said that they have opted to continue giving users the option to filter by ethnicity. Match Group argued in a statement by spokesperson Justine Sacco, "In many cases we've been asked to create filters for minorities that would otherwise not find each other."
by Jacklin Kwan
See full article at Mancunian Matters
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Grindr Features Failing to Protect Users From Sexual Predators
ABC - Oct 21 - LGBT Australians have criticized Grindr for allowing predators to easily create new profiles, despite reporting them for harassment or assault. Grindr users only need an email address to create a new profile and no other verification information, like a mobile phone number, is necessary. Unlike other dating apps such as Tinder, Grindr users don't opt-in by swiping on a profile and agreeing to message with someone. That means anyone can message anyone on the app. Grindr also limits the number of times a person can block someone on the app. Users can only block ten profiles per day; unlimited blocking is only available to people who pay for Grindr's premium version.
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In Pakistan, Shame Makes Online Dating a Challenge
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE - Oct 12 - Many women use anonymous online dating profiles out of fear of being harassed in a country where arranged marriages are the norm. Pakistanis who use dating apps regularly face harassment and judgmental relatives. In the self-proclaimed "Land of the Pure" - where sexual relations outside marriage, and homosexuality, are punishable with prison sentences - dating culture is unfamiliar. Authorities in September banned Tinder, Grindr and other popular apps for failing to "moderate" their content. "Banning these dating apps is a way to preserve our traditions," said a 50-year-old matchmaker based in Karachi who has been helping families find suitable partners for arranged marriages for over a decade.
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Grindr to Launch Bug Bounty Scheme
SILICON REPUBLIC - Oct 7 - After a serious vulnerability was discovered, Grindr wants to launch a bug bounty programme to improve the safety and security of its app. The announcement comes after French security researcher, Wassime Bouimadaghene, spotted a vulnerability that enabled password resets without access to a user’s inbox. Grindr released a statement noting that the security flaw has been fixed.
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Grindr's Security Flaw Let Anyone Easily Hijack User Accounts
TECH CRUNCH - Oct 5 - Grindr has fixed a security vulnerability that allowed anyone to hijack and take control of any user's account using only their email address. A French security researcher found the vulnerability and reported the issue to Grindr.
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Class Action Alleging Grindr Sold User Data
THE BAY AREA REPORTER - Sep 18 - A class action complaint against Grindr for privacy violations may not be able to proceed in traditional court but may go through arbitration. User Robert Bergeron sued Grindr after allegations it shared personal user data with third parties to the highest bidder without obtaining consent of users or telling them who those entities are, the initial federal court complaint states. Data included 'chat message text, chat images, e-mail address, display name, About Me, HIV status, linked Facebook & Twitter data, and more. They're claiming $5m+, which if the case went forward as a class action lawsuit would be spread among the members of the class. A 98% stake in Grindr sold a 98% stake in March to U.S.-based San Vicente Acquisition Partners.
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Grindr 'Disappointed' by Pakistan Block
WHTC - Sep 3 - Grindr is disappointed by Pakistan's decision this week to block it and four other dating apps including Tinder after they were deemed to be disseminating "immoral content". Pakistan, the second largest Muslim-majority country in the world after Indonesia, is an Islamic nation where extra-marital relationships and homosexuality are illegal. Grindr did not say whether it would seek to discuss the matter further with Pakistani authorities.
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Pakistan Bans 5 Dating Apps for 'Immoral' Content
TELEGRAPH INDIA - Sep 2 - Pakistan's telecom watchdog blocked Tinder, Tagged, Skout, Grindr and SayHi after they failed to take down the improper material. The apps were asked to remove "dating services" and moderate live streaming content "in accordance with the local laws of Pakistan" but they ignored the warning.
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Grindr's Campaign Wins National Award
DOMINION POST - Aug 18 - Last year, Monongalia County Health Department (MCHD) officials teamed up with Grindr to display alerts within 50 miles of the county. When clicked, these alerts redirected to the health department's information page on syphilis. Today, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the voice of the nation's 3K local governmental health departments, named its 2020 Model Practice Award Winners. 21 outstanding local health department programs have received this recognition, including "MCHD-Grindr Partnership to Alert Grindr Users to Syphilis Outbreak".
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Grindr Offers New Security Features in Partnership With UrSafe
ADVOCATE - Aug 11 - Grindr's users will be offered a 14-day trial of the service, which offers features like hands-free SOS alerts to law enforcement and location sharing with family and friends via voice command. UrSafe describes itself as a "silent bodyguard" on its website. It can be triggered "in milliseconds" with different safewords that correspond to either an uncomfortable situation or an emergency. UrSafe is now offered to four out of the top 10 global dating apps, including Grindr. After the trial, the premium version costs users $4.99 per month.
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Grindr Seeks to Push Data Privacy Suit Into Arbitration
LAW360 - Aug 3 - Grindr has urged a New York federal court to push into arbitration a proposed class action claiming it illegally shared users' personal data with advertisers, claiming users agreed to arbitrate such claims in the app's terms and conditions.
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The Varying American Fortunes of Grindr and Blued
ECONOMIST - July 15 - America's government viewed Grindr with Chinese ties as a national-security concern. Can Blued that has just listed in New York expect similar treatment? Blued launched in China in 2012, 11 years after homosexuality was removed from the country's list of mental disorders. An international edition of the app was released in 2015. Just over half of Blued's 6M active monthly users are in China. The rest are mainly in other parts of Asia. BlueCity's revenues reached 207M yuan ($30M) in the Q1, up by 43% YOY. On July 8th its parent company, BlueCity, listed on New York's Nasdaq exchange, at a market value of over $600m. Blued has so far avoided the sort of scrutiny from American regulators that befell Grindr. Unlike Grindr, which was popular in America before Kunlun bought it, Blued is a minnow outside Asia. Its relative obscurity may shield it from examination for a while. If it starts to gain a foothold in America, regulators are likely to take a closer look.
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Grindr Cleared for Small-business Loan
REUTERS - July 7 - Grindr was approved for a $1M to $2M loan for small businesses suffering from the coronavirus outbreak. China's Beijing Kunlun Tech sold Grindr last month to an investor group called San Vicente Acquisition, after the U.S. government ordered the divestment amid concerns over the safety of personal data stored in the app. Grindr generated net profit of ~$31M in 2019, according to Kunlun's annual report.
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