Grindr is for sale once again

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March 6, 2020 | Online

Grindr is for sale once again

Grindr The current owner of Grindr is looking to sell the gay dating app.

Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd revealed it has agreed to sell Grindr LLC, which it acquired in 2016, for about $608.5 million.

The reason for the sale is simple: a U.S. government panel, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), said it was concerned about a Chinese company having access to American user information and phones. The panel set a June 2020 deadline to sell the app.

Last year, Forbes explored the kind of data Grindr was collecting:

"With more than 3 million daily active users, Grindr keeps a lot of social data on them. The hookup app’s privacy policy notes they collect a wide range of personal data including location information, messages, and even HIV status if users choose to provide it. One of the most exposed groups is likely black gay and bisexual men, because in 2017 they accounted for the largest number of HIV diagnoses at 9,807, followed by Hispanic with 7,436 and whites at 6,982, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

The aim to prevent Chinese access to US citizen information has been an ongoing issue for the American government. In 2016, China invested $18.7 billion in U.S. tech firms; two years later, with a less receptive political environment, it was down to $2.2 billion.

But don't worry, someone is sure to come along and take over the app. And then they, too, will be privy to where you live, who you meet and all your wonderful little kinks.