Dating app Grindr is ordered by the Norwegian court to pay a long-disputed fine over sharing personal data with advertisers.
The 65 million Norwegian krone (359.4 million pesos) fine was issued after the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) uncovered how the dating site shares its sensitive data to companies that give target advertising services occurring between 2018 and 2020.
Director General Inger Lise Blyverket stated, “The collection, sharing, and use of personal data for commercial purposes is out of control – and is finally being cracked down on. We are satisfied that the court clearly affirms that Grindr’s sharing of sensitive information with third parties is illegal.”
The complaint was filed by the NCC back in 2020 after discovering that the app shares data about its users with several third parties, even securing the right to further share the information with thousands of other companies.
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority and the Norwegian Privacy Appeals Board dictate that the said practice has breached the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) since 2018.
Grindr brought up their case to a court in Oslo, wherein the judge dismissed their appeal on Monday, in a ruling seen by the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
It vindicated the judgment that the company violated the GDPR’s rules on consent for data sharing.
It ruled that the data equated to “sensitive” information because it is related to sexual orientation as well as geographical coordinates and the user’s age and status as users of the app that is aimed towards the people from the LGBTQ community.
Although Norway is not a member of the EU, the country is part of the European Economic Area (EEA), which included GDPR to the EEA’s agreement.
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