CW+ Premium Content/CW Europe

Datatilsynet, the Norwegian Data Protection Authority, has issued LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr an advanced notification of a NOK100m (€9.6m/£8.5m) fine – or 10% of turnover as per the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – over its alleged collection and sharing of sensitive user data with third-party advertisers without appropriate consent. The fine came about as the result of a legal complaint filed last year by Forbrukerrådet, the Norwegian Consumer Council, highlighting how advertising technology companies receive personal data about the interests, habits and behaviour of their users for use in targeted advertising, which can also potentially lead to discrimination, manipulation and exploitation. Such concerns are amplified when it comes to Grindr, a social networking app that over the years has supplanted traditional cruising for gay men by making casual sexual encounters much easier, because many of its users live in jurisdictions where LGBTQ+ people can be legally discriminated against, making a data leak that would be ...