BLOOMBERG - May 14 - Beijing Kunlun Tech, The Chinese owner of Grindr, is required to sell the app by June 2020 under an agreement with US officials who raised national security concerns about the app's ownership. Under the agreement, Beijing Kunlun Tech can't access information about Grindr's users and transmit any sensitive information to any entities based in China.
232 posts categorized "Grindr"
Beijing Kunlun Tech Must Sell Grindr by 2020 Over US National Security Fears
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Why Grindr Could Be the Next Media Powerhouse
THE DRUM - Apr 24 - With engagement levels that are twice that of the second most popular platform, Instagram, Grindr is a cash cow with 95% brand awareness in the LGBTQ community. It could be the most valuable media acquisition of 2019. It is likely to sell at a discount given the US government's recent ultimatum and the likelihood that Kunlun will sell it at auction. The LGBTQ market has enormous buying power, boasting ~$100B in the US. If the right media company acquires Grindr and repositions it as the leading LGBTQ media company, the brand could conceivably expand into other businesses. While many in the industry believe the company will sell between $250 - $500M, there is no reason why Grindr couldn't evolve to become a $5 – $10B business.
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Behind the Profile: Facing Discrimination on Grindr
TORONTO OBSERVER - Apr 14 - "Online discrimination has reached epidemic proportions affecting not only Grindr but other social networks," said Landen Zumwalt, head of communications at Grindr. Unlike Tinder or Bumble, in which both users must consent to a match, Grindr allows users to openly message anyone who is active and physically nearest to them. That opens up avenues for racism and abuse. Last year, Grindr released an awareness campaign called "Kindr" which is is built around education, awareness and specific policy changes.
by Kevin-Jose Da Silva-Vitorino
See full article at Toronto Observer
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Grindr Employees Fear That China Wanted to Access User Data Via HIV Research
NBC NEWS - Apr 4 - The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., an interagency group led by the Treasury Department that oversees foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies, began investigating Grindr in July 2018 because of concerns about the security of sensitive user data collected by the app, which included the HIV status. Grindr, which has ~3M daily users, was wholly acquired by China's Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. in Jan 2018. The deal immediately caused concern among national security experts who worried that China could harvest sensitive private data from the app for espionage purposes. Kunlun is now trying to sell Grindr under pressure from the Treasury's foreign investment committee over national security concerns. A spokesperson for Grindr declined to comment on the federal committee's investigation and said that the company "never disclosed any user data to the Chinese government nor do they intend to. Scott Chen was named Grindr's CTO shortly after the app's sale to Kunlun. He is currently president of Grindr. On July 3, 2018, Chen informed three Grindr employees that Yiming Shao, an HIV researcher for China's equivalent of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was interested in working with Grindr. To facilitate this project, Chen wrote an email to the employees that suggested putting a full-time "intern" in Grindr's West Hollywood, California, headquarters to do research and work on a paper about HIV prevention that would be co-published with the company. "They are attracted by our brand, reach and data," Chen wrote in the email. "We need to be extremely careful about their data request. Yiming is head of HIV prevention in China CDC. We can't let people say this is about 'sharing user data with the Chinese government." Company employees believed that putting a person from Shao's team in Grindr's headquarters would put user data at risk.
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Grindr's Chinese Owner Says No Deal With US Yet on Sale
SCMP - Apr 1 - Beijing-based Kunlun, which has owned gay dating app Grindr since 2016, say it is communicating with the US regarding its ownership. It has yet to reach any agreement with US authorities (the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US - CFIUS) in response to reports that the firm has been forced to sell Grindr amid concerns that its ownership constitutes a national security risk. In August, Kunlun started preparations for an IPO. The CFIUS intervention, however, would put an end to that process.
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U.S. Orders Chinese Firm to Sell Dating App Grindr Over Blackmail Risk
WALL STREET JOURNAL - Mar 27 - U.S. national-security officials have ordered a Chinese company to sell gay-dating app Grindr, citing the risk that the personal data it collects could be exploited by Beijing to blackmail individuals with security clearances, according to people familiar with the situation. Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd., which acquired a majority stake in Grindr in 2016, would have no choice but to share information on Grindr users if demanded by the Chinese government, U.S. officials believe. That triggered the recent order from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., known as Cfius. National-security experts said a Chinese company would never be allowed to buy a company like Facebook Inc., for example.
"If Cfius only applies to companies China acquires from the U.S., and not companies China builds, what can it possibly solve?" said Geoffrey Cook, CEO of The Meet Group.
Potential buyers for Grindr could include Match. Mark Brooks, a consultant in the dating industry, said Spark Networks and The Meet Group could be among other potential contenders.
by Georgia Wells & Kate O'Keeffe
See full article at Wall Street Journal
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Grindr Defeats Appeal Over Harassment on Gay Dating App
REUTERS - Mar 27 - A U.S. federal appeals court refused to hold Grindr liable to a New York man who said his former boyfriend used the gay dating app to post fake profiles, in a harassment campaign that caused 1,000 men to approach the victim for sex. The man sued Grindr in Jan. 2017, and a federal judge dismissed his case a year later, prompting the appeal. His lawyer Tor Ekeland said he was "disappointed but not surprised" by Wednesday's decision because courts are "extremely deferential to big tech" when interpreting the CDA (Communications Decency Act). "Apps are being used to stalk, rape and murder. Under the court's reading of the CDA, big tech companies don't have responsibility to do anything about it, even if they know it is happening. Congress needs to amend this statute," he said.
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U.S. Pushes Chinese Owner of Grindr to Divest the Dating App
REUTERS - Mar 26 - Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd is seeking to sell Grindr, the gay dating app it has owned since 2016, after a U.S. government national security panel raised concerns about its ownership. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has informed Kunlun that its ownership of Grindr constitutes a national security risk. Kunlun had said last August it was preparing for an IPO of Grindr. As a result of CFIUS' intervention, Kunlun has now shifted its focus to an auction process to sell Grindr outright. Grindr has hired investment bank Cowen Inc to handle the sale process, and is soliciting acquisition interest from U.S. investment firms, as well as Grindr's competitors. Kunlun acquired a majority stake in Grindr in 2016 for $93M. It bought out the remainder of the company in 2018.
by Carl O'Donnell, Liana B. Baker & Echo Wang
See full article at Reuters
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Dating App Grindr Turns 10
GLOBAL NEWS - Mar 17 - Grindr was launched in March of 2009 and now has millions of daily users. The app's rise in popularity is no big surprise, as it turns out online dating in general has become the most popular way to meet people, especially within the LGBTQ community. New research from Stanford University and the University of New Mexico says ~70% of American same-sex couples who met recently did so online.
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One in Two Grindr Users Believe They'll Find True Love on the App
GAYSTARNEWS - Mar 5 - A study by Compare The Market showed 56.5% of Grindr users believe they can find the love of their life on the dating app. Moreover, 84% of Grindr users said they have fallen in love with someone via the app. Her, a dating app for queer women, came in close with 81% of their users saying the same. PlanetRomeo users were the most skeptical to love, with 16.7% answering 'no, love cannot be found on online dating apps.'
by Josh Milton
See full article at GayStarNews
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Tinder and Grindr Failing to Enforce Age Restrictions
DAILYMAIL.CO.UK - Feb 11 - Dozens of children as young as eight have been sexually abused by paedophiles on apps like Tinder and Grindr because they are failing to enforce age restrictions. The figures were revealed by 10 of 46 British police forces. Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, described the findings as 'truly shocking'. He added: "I will be writing to these companies asking what measures they have in place to keep children safe from harm, including verifying their age. If I'm not satisfied with their response, I reserve the right to take further action." Tinder said it uses both automated and manual tools to moderate users, including scanning profiles for 'red flag' images, and said it also depends on users to report profiles that may belong to a minor.
by Rory Tingle
See full article at DailyMail.co.uk
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Grindr Banned in Lebanon
IBTIMES - Jan 21 - Lebanon has reportedly banned people from accessing Grindr, a gay dating mobile app, on the country's public network. The reason behind the ban was unknown. Other countries have partially and completely banned the app. Here is a list of such countries:
- Turkey
- Iran
- Saudi Arabia
- Indonesia
- Egypt
- China
- United Arab Emirates
- Ukraine
- Russia
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What Role Should Dating Apps Play in Preventing Cyberstalking?
CNET - Jan 21 - "The overwhelming majority of our domestic violence cases involve some type of technological abuse," said Sadie Diaz, a senior staff attorney for the Courtroom Advocates Project. Stalking victims say that dating apps and services have done little to prevent this abuse. The FBI encourages people to report cybercrimes to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, but it doesn't have a category for cyberstalking. The closest is "Harassment/Threats of Violence." While the FBI received 16,974 complaints in 2018, the Justice Department prosecuted 16 cyberstalking cases that year. Matthew Herrick, of New York, wasn't aware there were multiple fake profiles of him on Grindr. Then one day, someone showed up at his apartment expecting sex. It was the first of many. His ex-boyfriend had created the profiles after the two broke up, and was courting strangers to come harass him in real life. Herrick asked ~50 times for Grindr to delete fake profiles. Section 230 of the Federal Communications Decency Act, a law from 1996, provides immunity to tech platforms from actions of its users. When Herrick sued Grindr for failing to delete the fake accounts, a New York judge dismissed the case on Jan. 25, 2018. Nearly a year later, at an appeals hearing on Jan. 7, Grindr's lawyers echoed the same argument. While Grindr ignored Herrick's pleas for help, Scruff was more responsive. Fake profiles were removed within two days. Eric Silverberg, Scruff's CEO and co-founder, said the company has a focus on moderators and detecting fraud. Facebook, for example, continues to expand its protection against revenge porn, even if Section 230 would protect them.
by Alfred Ng
See full article at CNet
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Grindr Lays Off Its Entire "Into" Editorial Stuff
ADVOCATE - Jan 16 - Into, Grindr's online LGBTQ publication, laid off its entire editorial staff and its corresponding social media team this week, because "the company will be refocusing its efforts on video." Into, launched in August 2017, had branded itself as an LGBTQ news source that targeted millennials. However, Into's editorial team found itself at odds with management in November, when one of the digital magazine's reporters called out Scott Chen, the president of Grindr, for remarks that appeared to be anti-LGBTQ. Additionally, Into made headlines in December for a commentary piece that called an Ariana Grande music video transphobic and racist. The piece sparked such a strong backlash on social media that editors had to issue an apology and remove the byline of its writer due to death threats.
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Who Got the Most News Coverage in 2018?
OPW - Jan 13 - Every day we review the news and bubble up what we think are summaries of the most important intell in the most important news items. All year, every day. Then in January we like to do an annual review of the news and let you know who got the most coverage on OPW.news for the prior year. Subscribe here for daily updates.
Here's the rankings for who got the most press coverage on OPW.news in 2018.
- Tinder, 182 posts on OPW.news
- Bumble, 116 posts
- Match Group, 105 posts
- Facebook Dating, 58 posts
- Grindr, 40 posts
- Badoo, 33 posts
- eharmony, 33 posts
- Match, 29 posts
- OKCupid, 28 posts
- Hinge, 24 posts
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Grindr's App Status Places It Outside Section 230 Immunity, Lawyer Argues
LAW.COM - Jan 7 - Whether a website should face accountability for the actions of its users is getting new examination in a harassment suit against Grindr. Attorney Tor Ekeland described Grindr as "a targeting system" that tracked a harassment victim's geolocation despite him not having the app. But opposing counsel from Bryan Cave says even if Grindr "somehow magically tracked people," it would still get Section 230 immunity. Arguing Monday before a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, attorney Tor Ekeland asked to revive a suit in which his client alleges an ex-boyfriend created a fake Grindr account under the client's name, then used the profile to send app users to the client's house and workplace. The suit was previously tossed under immunity granted to online services for third-party created content via Section 230 of the Stored Communications Act (CDA). Ekeland said that alleged stalkers used competitors to Grindr to stalk his client, and that the competitors addressed his client's concerns right away. The lawsuit also argued that information that was used to allegedly harass the plaintiff - including "categories in its drop-down menus" portraying him "as interested in hardcore sex" - were created by Grindr and thus outside the scope of the CDA. Grindr's counsel, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner partner Daniel Waxman characterized the suit as a "straightforward CDA case."
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Grindr Harassment Suit Could Change Accountability for Tech
NBC MIAMI - Jan 5 - Matthew Herrick claimed that for months an ex-boyfriend used Grindr to harass him. The harassment continued for months, even after Herrick obtained a temporary restraining order against Grindr that required the company to disable the impersonating profiles. He continues to push back against Grindr, arguing that tech companies should face greater accountability for what happens on their platforms. If successful, the lawsuit could bring a significant legal change.
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Tinder and Bumble's Recent Advertising Efforts
NEW YORK TIMES - Dec 18 - Tinder has a new publication, Swipe Life, specializing in personal essays that reinforce the idea that dating misadventures are cool, invigorating and youthful. Other dating apps are also getting into the content business. Grindr has its own news site, Into; Hinge, as part of an ad campaign last year, published short-form fiction on walls and billboards. Tinder is the top dating app in the US and worldwide, according to App Annie. ~50% of Tinder's users are ages 18 to 25. Elie Seidman, Tinder's CEO, said that the company wants to brand itself as the leader of early-life dating. When Swipe Life began this fall, its articles sang of the exciting spontaneity of singledom. For example: "I Moved to L.A. for a Tinder Relationship That Lasted Two Weeks, But I Don't Regret It - Here's Why." Bumble's strategy seems inspired by the Forbes's annual 30 Under 30 lists. Its "Find Them on Bumble" campaign collects the 112 "most inspiring New Yorkers," and subtly links their success to Bumble.
by Jonah Engel Bromwich
See full article at New York Times
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Grindr's Director Of Communications Quit Over President's Gay Marriage Comment
INSTINCT MAGAZINE - Dec 10 - Last week, Grindr was trending after its President and CTO Scott Chen posted to Facebook that he thinks "marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman." Now in reaction to that, Grindr's communications director Landen Rafe Zumwalt, who is openly gay, has quit his job. "As an out and proud gay man madly in love with a man I don't deserve, I refused to compromise my own values or professional integrity to defend a statement that goes against everything I am and everything I believe," Zumwalt wrote through medium.com. Scott Chen explained his Facebook post: "The reason I said marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman is based on my own personal experience. I am a straight man married to a woman I love and I have two beautiful daughters I love from the marriage. This is how I feel about my marriage. Different people have their different feelings about their marriages. You can't deny my feelings about my marriage."
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Grindr, the First Big Dating App For Gays, Is Falling Out of Favor
WASHINGTON POST - Dec 7 - 2018 should have been a record year for Grindr, the leading gay dating app, which touts ~27M users. Instead, the app has received backlash for one blunder after another. Early this year, the Kunlun Group's buyout of Grindr raised alarm among intelligence experts that the Chinese government might be able to gain access to the Grindr profiles of American users. Then in the spring, Grindr faced scrutiny after reports indicated the app had a security issue that could expose users' precise locations and that the company had shared sensitive data on its users' HIV status with external software vendors. Last week, news broke that Scott Chen, the app's straight-identified president, may not fully support marriage equality. In the past several years, Grindr users have widely reported that spambots and spoofed accounts run rampant. Earlier this year, a massive study by the Center for Humane Technology found that Grindr is the No. 1 app that leaves users feeling unhappy. Among its major competitors, Grindr has the lowest score on the Apple App store: a lowly two stars.
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