Grindr to Compensate Israeli Users Millions in Data Privacy Settlement
The Tel Aviv District Court has approved a class-action settlement requiring the gay dating app Grindr to compensate its Israeli users. The lawsuit accused Grindr of sharing users' personal and sensitive data with third parties without their knowledge or consent.
Under the terms of the agreement, Grindr will provide a free one-month subscription to its premium Grindr Xtra service to any user who logged into their account within the past year. The total value of these subscriptions is estimated at a minimum of 6.4 million shekels, with a potential to increase by another 2 million shekels.
The core of the legal action was the allegation that Grindr transmitted intimate user data, including HIV status, to external companies without disclosing the nature of the information, recipients, or purposes. The plaintiff, Ohad Hazaki, argued that this constituted a severe breach of privacy.
Grindr, while not admitting guilt, stated that it only shared data with entities involved in the app's technical maintenance, considering them contractors rather than independent third parties, and claimed this was done without personally identifiable details. The company also asserted that it has required data recipients to delete the information and has had a user consent interface for data sharing since 2020.
The settlement was reached through mediation led by retired Judge Yoram Danziger and approved by Judge Rami Haimovich of the Central District Court. This development follows a similar case in the UK, where Grindr agreed to pay approximately 26 million pounds to around 12,000 users for comparable data privacy violations. In the Israeli settlement, the plaintiff will receive 38,000 shekels, and his attorney, Hagai Klai, will receive 700,000 shekels plus $80,000 for expert witness expenses.
