App admits sharing users’ HIV status

The gay dating app Grindr has acknowledged sharing its users’ HIV status with two companies. Grindr said Localytics and Apptimize were paid to test and monitor how the app is used. The company said the firms are under “strict contractual terms that provide for the highest level of confidentiality, data security and user privacy”.

Grindr said data was “always transmitted securely with encryption.” It also said users should carefully consider what information they list in their profiles.