Eight of the 10 also shared data with Google’s ad service, while nine of them shared data with Facebook.
#Grindr twitter android#
The tests, which were carried out on Android devices, showed that every single app shared data with third parties. “Because of the scope of tests, size of the third parties that were observed receiving data and popularity of the apps, we regard the findings from these tests to be representative of widespread practices.” “In the meantime, we have disabled Grindr’s MoPub account.”Įvery app assessed had some privacy problems, however, leading the report’s authors to conclude that the problem was endemic. “We are currently investigating this issue to understand the sufficiency of Grindr’s consent mechanism,” Twitter said. Twitter said it would investigate the allegations saying Grindr provided data with inadequate consent, and suspended the app from MoPub.
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This is an insane violation of users’ EU privacy rights.”įollowing the publication of the report, the council filed formal complaints of GDPR breaches against Grindr and MoPub, as well as four other ad tech firms. Max Schrems, founder of the European privacy non-profit organisation Noyb, told the NCC: “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. “By stating that it does ‘not control the use of these tracking technologies’, and by asking users to read the privacy policies of any third-party companies that may receive personal data, Grindr is attempting to shift accountability for the advertising technologies that it is using away from itself,” the report concluded. MoPub, in turn, lists more than 160 partners to which data may be passed. Grindr told users that they needed to check with partners to find out how their data was used, but only named one such partner, MoPub, an ad network owned by Twitter.
![grindr twitter grindr twitter](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/677010926604787713/mwQi8Np4_400x400.jpg)
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The council said the app had such a “vague” privacy policy that it was probably in breach of GDPR, particularly concerning how the company tried to excuse itself from misuse of data by advertising partners. Of the 10 apps examined in depth by the NCC, which included period trackers and dating apps, Grindr stood out as being significantly problematic.