The Chinese company which owns Grindr is reportedly planning to sell the dating app amid concerns about the data it holds on users.
It been claimed that a US government national security panel has raised concerns about the app being owned by a firm based in China.
Reuters claimed the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) fears Grindr’s current status could ‘constitute a national securuity risk’.
Beijing Kunlun Tech Co. Ltd. spent almost $100 million on buying Grindr in 2016.
The app has more than 27 million users and is believed to gather private data on its users including highly sensitive information such as their HIV status.
In the wrong hands, this information could be used to shame or even blackmail people.
Jason Waite, a partner at law firm Alston & Bird LLP, told Reuters: ‘Personal data has emerged as a mainstream concern of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.’
The world is now beginning to awaken to the privacy risks posed by the gathering of private information.
‘Data is the new frontier in espionage and exploitation of weaknesses, whether they be those of individuals or institutions,’ security expert Brett Bruen from the consulting firm Global Situation Room told Wired.
‘Any tech company, whether it’s an LGBTQ dating app or a shopping site, is a target-rich environment.’
We have written to Grindr for comment.
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