A Norwegian consumer rights group claimed that dating apps like Tinder and Grindr are sharing people's personal data with third parties.

 

The Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) accused Grindr of giving user GPS data, IP addresses, ages and genders to third-party companies to help them improve advertising targeting. User's sexual orientation is included in the data.

 

The group said this was a direct violation of EU privacy laws.

 

"Every time you open an app like Grindr, advertisement networks get your GPS location, device identifiers and even the fact that you use a gay dating app," Austrian activist Max Schrems explained. "This is an insane violation of users' EU privacy rights."

 

The group also said that Tinder was sharing data with at least 45 companies owned by the Match Group, which operates a dating website of the same name.

 

Users "have no way of knowing which entities process their data and how to stop them," the group said in a report. "Consumers have no meaningful ways to resist or otherwise protect themselves from the effects of profiling (including) different forms of discrimination and exclusion." 

 

Grindr, so far, has refused to comment on the allegations. It told The New York Times that it could not discuss a report that it had not seen.