Tinder, OKCupid, Grindr And Other Apps Share Personal Data With Advertisers : NPR

<!doctype html><html class="no-js" lang="en"><head> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdn.cookielaw.org/consent/82089dfe-410c-4e1b-a7f9-698174b62a86/OtAutoBlock.js" ></script> <script src="https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js" type="text/javascript" charset="UTF-8" data-domain-script="82089dfe-410c-4e1b-a7f9-698174b62a86" ></script> <script type="text/javascript"> function OptanonWrapper() { NPR_OptanonWrapper = true; document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('npr:DataConsentAvailable')); OneTrust.OnConsentChanged(function() { document.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('npr:DataConsentChanged')); }); } </script>  <script src="https://cdn.cookielaw.org/opt-out/otCCPAiab.js" type="text/javascript" charset="UTF-8" ccpa-opt-out-ids="C0004" ccpa-opt-out-geo="us" ccpa-opt-out-lspa="false"></script><script type="text/plain" class="optanon-category-C0004"> document.cookie = "__adblocker=; expires=Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 GMT; path=/"; var setNptTechAdblockerCookie = function(adblocker) { var d = new Date(); d.setTime(d.getTime() + 60 * 5 * 1000); document.cookie = "__adblocker=" + (adblocker ? "true" : "false") + "; expires=" + d.toUTCString() + "; path=/"; }; var script = document.createElement("script"); script.setAttribute("async", true); script.setAttribute("src", "//www.npttech.com/advertising.js"); script.setAttribute("onerror", "setNptTechAdblockerCookie(true);"); document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(script); </script><script type='text/javascript'> !function(a9,a,p,s,t,A,g){if(a[a9])return;function q(c,r){a[a9]._Q.push([c,r])}a[a9]={init:function(){q("i",arguments)},fetchBids:function(){q("f",arguments)},setDisplayBids:function(){},targetingKeys:function(){return[]},_Q:[]};A=p.createElement(s);A.async=!0;A.src=t;g=p.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];g.parentNode.insertBefore(A,g)}("apstag",window,document,"script","//c.amazon-adsystem.com/aax2/apstag.js"); </script><script> (function (e, o, n, i) { if (!e) { e = e || {}, window.permutive = e, e.q = []; var t = function () { return ([1e7] + -1e3 + -4e3 + -8e3 + -1e11).replace(/[018]/g, function (e) { return (e ^ (window.crypto || window.msCrypto).getRandomValues(new Uint8Array(1))[0] & 15 >> e / 4).toString(16) }) }; e.config = i || {}, e.config.apiKey = o, e.config.workspaceId = n, e.config.environment = e.config.environment || "production", (window.crypto || window.msCrypto) && (e.config.viewId = t()); for (var g = ["addon", "identify", "track", "trigger", "query", "segment", "segments", "ready", "on", "once", "user", "consent"], r = 0; r < g.length; r++) { var w = g[r]; e[w] = function (o) { return function () { var n = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments, 0); e.q.push({functionName: o, arguments: n}) }; }(w); } } })(window.permutive, "12730e07-f09d-4a69-93da-99b43983b663", "e1cef1f0-495f-4973-ba1c-880786e73a66", {"consentRequired": true}); </script>  <script>dataLayer = [];</script>  <script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.setAttributeNode(d.createAttribute('data-ot-ignore'));j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer', 'GTM-MVD397M');</script>  <script> try {var _sf_startpt=(new Date()).getTime();} catch(e){} </script> <meta itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/SpeakableSpecification" itemref="speakable" /><title>Tinder, OKCupid, Grindr And Other Apps Share Personal Data With Advertisers : NPR</title><meta id="speakable" itemprop="cssSelector" content="[data-is-speakable]" /><meta id="google-site-verification" name="google-site-verification" content="1VqzbDm4ukeFVHOoq5LjIKA2fVKZD-EYv8cXZhKXSfU" /><meta charset="utf-8" /><meta name="robots" content="noarchive,index,follow,max-image-preview:large" /><meta name="apple-itunes-app" content="app-id=324906251, app-argument=https://www.npr.org/2020/01/14/796427696/study-grindr-tindr-and-other-apps-share-sensitive-personal-data-with-advertisers" /><meta name="Rating" content="General" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1, shrink-to-fit=no" /><meta name="npr-pjax" /><meta name="date" content="2020-01-14" /><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.npr.org/2020/01/14/796427696/study-grindr-tindr-and-other-apps-share-sensitive-personal-data-with-advertisers" /><meta name="description" content="Researchers in Norway say the data-sharing appears to violate European data privacy laws. In the U.S., groups are asking state and federal regulators to investigate whether the practices are illegal." /><link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="Technology" href="https://feeds.npr.org/1019/rss.xml" /><link rel="alternate" type="application/json" title="Technology" href="https://feeds.npr.org/feeds/1019/feed.json" /><meta name="cXenseParse:pageclass" content="article" /><meta name="cXenseParse:publishtime" content="2020-01-14T19:03:23-05:00" /><meta name="cXenseParse:author" content="Bobby Allyn" /><link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="https://media.npr.org/chrome/favicon/favicon-180x180.png" /><link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://media.npr.org/chrome/favicon/favicon.ico" /><link rel="icon" sizes="96x96" href="https://media.npr.org/chrome/favicon/favicon-96x96.png" /><link rel="icon" sizes="48x48" href="https://media.npr.org/chrome/favicon/favicon-48x48.png" /><link rel="icon" sizes="32x32" href="https://media.npr.org/chrome/favicon/favicon-32x32.png" /><link rel="icon" sizes="16x16" href="https://media.npr.org/chrome/favicon/favicon-16x16.png" /><meta property="og:title" content="Study: Tinder, Grindr And Other Apps Share Sensitive Personal Data With Advertisers" /><meta property="og:url" content="https://www.npr.org/2020/01/14/796427696/study-grindr-tindr-and-other-apps-share-sensitive-personal-data-with-advertisers" /><meta property="og:type" content="article" /><meta property="og:description" content="Researchers in Norway say the data-sharing appears to violate European data privacy laws. In the U.S., groups are asking state and federal regulators to investigate whether the practices are illegal." /><meta property="og:image" content="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_wide-6231435b14042c5d4098c380ce751fd5ee0470d3.jpg?s=1400&c=100&f=jpeg" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="NPR" /><meta property="fb:app_id" content="138837436154588" /><meta property="fb:pages" content="10643211755" /><meta property="article:content_tier" content="free" /><meta property="article:opinion" content="false" /><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /><meta name="twitter:title" content="Study: Tinder, Grindr And Other Apps Share Sensitive Personal Data With Advertisers" /><meta name="twitter:site" content="@NPR" /><meta name="twitter:domain" content="npr.org" /><meta name="twitter:image:src" content="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_wide-6231435b14042c5d4098c380ce751fd5ee0470d3.jpg?s=1400&c=100&f=jpeg" /><script id="npr-vars"> window.NPR = window.NPR || {}; NPR.ServerConstants = {"cbHost":"npr.org","webHost":"https:\/\/www.npr.org","geolocationHost":"https:\/\/www.npr.org","legacyWebHost":"https:\/\/legacy.npr.org","stripeServiceHost":"https:\/\/stripe.npr.org","recaptchaV3SiteKey":"6LcdN9IZAAAAAOHT985BJjbzjkBjKSxdxK3GeKSt","placesApiKey":"AIzaSyB_wzlXPVwS4kHRAZsM6scMzUAIsJ6aMZ4","embedHost":"https:\/\/www.npr.org","webHostSecure":"https:\/\/secure.npr.org","identityHost":"https:\/\/identity.api.npr.org","apiHost":"https:\/\/api.npr.org","stationApiHost":"https:\/\/station.api.npr.org","environment":"prod","serverMediaCache":"https:\/\/media.npr.org","googleAnalyticsAccount":"UA-5828686-4","gtmKey":"GTM-MVD397M","nielsenSFCode":"dcr","nielsenAPN":"NPR-dcr","shouldShowHPLocalContent":true,"cookieDomain":".npr.org","organizationV4Host":"https:\/\/organization.api.npr.org","staticAssetsHost":"https:\/\/static-assets.npr.org"}; NPR.serverVars = {"storyId":"796427696","storyCategory":"Technology","isHiring":true,"facebookAppId":"138837436154588","webpackPublicPath":"https:\/\/bundles.npr.org\/dist\/bundles\/","persistenceVersion":"dc6ca5382641618149badd84283456fc","isBuildOut":true,"pageLayoutName":"NewsStoryLayout","topicIds":["P1019","1001","1002","1006"],"primaryTopic":"Technology","topics":["Technology","News","Home Page Top Stories","Business"],"exposedCollections":["Newsdesk Reporting Team"],"theme":"1019","aggIds":["1001","1002","1006","1019","131412377","256572270","434975886","593868387","638550790","796427780","796427847"],"tagIds":["Data privacy","Grindr","OkCupid","Tinder"],"byline":["Bobby Allyn"],"contentPartnerOrgFullName":"1 | NPR","pubDate":"2020011419","fullPubDate":"Tue, 14 Jan 2020 19:03:23 -0500","pageTypeId":"1","title":"Study: Tinder, Grindr And Other Apps Share Sensitive Personal Data With Advertisers","publisherOrgId":"1"}; </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdn.optimizely.com/js/11107397707.js"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://static-assets.npr.org/static/javascript/lib/modernizr/modernizr.custom.js"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://static-assets.npr.org/static/javascript/lib/svg-loader.min.js"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" async src="https://js.stripe.com/v3/"> </script> <script> !function(e){function r(r){for(var t,o,d=r[0],f=r[1],b=r[2],i=0,l=[];i<d.length;i++)o=d[i],Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(n,o)&&n[o]&&l.push(n[o][0]),n[o]=0;for(t in f)Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(f,t)&&(e[t]=f[t]);for(u&&u(r);l.length;)l.shift()();return c.push.apply(c,b||[]),a()}function a(){for(var e,r=0;r<c.length;r++){for(var a=c[r],t=!0,d=1;d<a.length;d++){var f=a[d];0!==n[f]&&(t=!1)}t&&(c.splice(r--,1),e=o(o.s=a[0]))}return e}var t={},n={0:0},c=[];function o(r){if(t[r])return t[r].exports;var a=t[r]={i:r,l:!1,exports:{}};return e[r].call(a.exports,a,a.exports,o),a.l=!0,a.exports}o.e=function(e){var r=[],a=n[e];if(0!==a)if(a)r.push(a[2]);else{var t=new Promise((function(r,t){a=n[e]=[r,t]}));r.push(a[2]=t);var c,d=document.createElement("script");d.charset="utf-8",d.timeout=120,o.nc&&d.setAttribute("nonce",o.nc),d.src=function(e){return o.p+""+e+"."+{1:"1cc38445607d21bc32a0",2:"6e6f4f056d55c519c233",3:"9be5ee50abe37e768f5c",4:"2405e41ec529f202506c",5:"04e52c51baeda911a46a",6:"be83b1ac6cd79ab71765",7:"826b5f941d1ebae779ed",8:"d5de401732511e7d88bb",9:"f23d60a0db48311059ac",10:"d54aaa9e0dc01e32c36b",73:"a588d581084d270c2664",74:"d27cbd060d5aa3a531f0",75:"8fcc954db477457ff858",76:"04efa1ccb3a4381e5bb4",77:"929faa0690d0ebc092ea",78:"f7b26db999f9ec13aec4",79:"912cd4fa10417c2e281f",80:"d5dc545bb8c777c9a202",81:"a4f986d9b27c5409fecb",82:"566df69f2568610a2bd0",83:"df5e1ae315931d2b5ce7",84:"d8d8025e7f304d2106f4",85:"9f771054dfee76c7d68c",86:"71e6eb5243be2f68aabb",87:"86704756ec93d981fddf",88:"c00df55abc9590c1c43e",89:"e4ee49a282463e7804a1",90:"53163fb03a49a6726de8",91:"d19a9811b14651c39c84",92:"ec6da34a44eaef4f6163",93:"555bbf138433e041e14a",94:"6aac751af7bddc641ca9",95:"1681f60da6176400cd5f",96:"d61a221b7aea4db505f9",97:"e4b0b55194733b6a91be",98:"60e7069f094cdc347b85",99:"a8dbedc94ac493dadb4d",100:"0eda2b2b92b180d58faf"}[e]+".chunk.js"}(e);var f=new Error;c=function(r){d.onerror=d.onload=null,clearTimeout(b);var a=n[e];if(0!==a){if(a){var t=r&&("load"===r.type?"missing":r.type),c=r&&r.target&&r.target.src;f.message="Loading chunk "+e+" failed.\n("+t+": "+c+")",f.name="ChunkLoadError",f.type=t,f.request=c,a[1](f)}n[e]=void 0}};var b=setTimeout((function(){c({type:"timeout",target:d})}),12e4);d.onerror=d.onload=c,document.head.appendChild(d)}return Promise.all(r)},o.m=e,o.c=t,o.d=function(e,r,a){o.o(e,r)||Object.defineProperty(e,r,{enumerable:!0,get:a})},o.r=function(e){"undefined"!=typeof Symbol&&Symbol.toStringTag&&Object.defineProperty(e,Symbol.toStringTag,{value:"Module"}),Object.defineProperty(e,"__esModule",{value:!0})},o.t=function(e,r){if(1&r&&(e=o(e)),8&r)return e;if(4&r&&"object"==typeof e&&e&&e.__esModule)return e;var a=Object.create(null);if(o.r(a),Object.defineProperty(a,"default",{enumerable:!0,value:e}),2&r&&"string"!=typeof e)for(var t in e)o.d(a,t,function(r){return e[r]}.bind(null,t));return a},o.n=function(e){var r=e&&e.__esModule?function(){return e.default}:function(){return e};return o.d(r,"a",r),r},o.o=function(e,r){return Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(e,r)},o.p="/dist/bundles/",o.oe=function(e){throw console.error(e),e};var d=window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[],f=d.push.bind(d);d.push=r,d=d.slice();for(var b=0;b<d.length;b++)r(d[b]);var u=f;a()}([]); </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://bundles.npr.org/dist/bundles/32.d85d8a8a20912c755383.chunk.js"> </script> <link rel="stylesheet" data-persist="true" media="screen, print" href="https://bundles.npr.org/dist/bundles/persistent-css-91e7828ebe6352ebd455.css" /><link rel="stylesheet" data-persist="true" media="screen and (min-width: 768px)" href="https://bundles.npr.org/dist/bundles/persistent_medium-css-91e7828ebe6352ebd455.css" /><link rel="stylesheet" data-persist="true" media="screen and (min-width: 1025px)" href="https://bundles.npr.org/dist/bundles/persistent_large-css-91e7828ebe6352ebd455.css" /><link rel="preload" data-persist="true" media="screen, print" href="https://bundles.npr.org/dist/bundles/fonts-css-91e7828ebe6352ebd455.css" as="style" onload="this.onload=null;this.rel='stylesheet'" /><link rel="stylesheet" media="screen, print" href="https://bundles.npr.org/dist/bundles/newsStory-css-91e7828ebe6352ebd455.css" /><script type="application/ld+json"> {"@type":"NewsArticle","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NPR","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/chrome\/npr-logo.jpg"}},"headline":"Study: Tinder, Grindr And Other Apps Share Sensitive Personal Data With Advertisers","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2020\/01\/14\/796427696\/study-grindr-tindr-and-other-apps-share-sensitive-personal-data-with-advertisers"},"datePublished":"2020-01-14T19:03:23-05:00","dateModified":"2020-01-14T19:03:23-05:00","author":{"@type":"Person","name":["Bobby Allyn"]},"description":"Researchers in Norway say the data-sharing appears to violate European data privacy laws. In the U.S., groups are asking state and federal regulators to investigate whether the practices are illegal.","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2020\/01\/14\/gettyimages-1016772950_custom-4553832d2a59d228e7135a6b006889234c7c5483.jpg"},"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org"} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> document.domain="www.npr.org"; </script> <script id="piano-aid" type="text/javascript" data-piano-aid="9ENxKQ58pu"> (function(src) { var a = document.createElement("script"); a.type = "text/javascript"; a.async = true; a.src = src; var b = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; b.parentNode.insertBefore(a, b) })("//cdn.piano.io/api/tinypass.min.js"); window.pdl = window.pdl || {}; window.pdl.requireConsent = true; tp = window.tp || []; tp.push(["init", function() { tp.enableGACrossDomainLinking(); }]); </script> <script>!function(e){var n="https://s.go-mpulse.net/boomerang/";if("False"=="True")e.BOOMR_config=e.BOOMR_config||{},e.BOOMR_config.PageParams=e.BOOMR_config.PageParams||{},e.BOOMR_config.PageParams.pci=!0,n="https://s2.go-mpulse.net/boomerang/";if(window.BOOMR_API_key="MBVDT-3L9KY-36ZMJ-SPSAR-JR833",function(){function e(){if(!o){var e=document.createElement("script");e.id="boomr-scr-as",e.src=window.BOOMR.url,e.async=!0,i.parentNode.appendChild(e),o=!0}}function t(e){o=!0;var n,t,a,r,d=document,O=window;if(window.BOOMR.snippetMethod=e?"if":"i",t=function(e,n){var t=d.createElement("script");t.id=n||"boomr-if-as",t.src=window.BOOMR.url,BOOMR_lstart=(new Date).getTime(),e=e||d.body,e.appendChild(t)},!window.addEventListener&&window.attachEvent&&navigator.userAgent.match(/MSIE [67]\./))return window.BOOMR.snippetMethod="s",void t(i.parentNode,"boomr-async");a=document.createElement("IFRAME"),a.src="about:blank",a.title="",a.role="presentation",a.loading="eager",r=(a.frameElement||a).style,r.width=0,r.height=0,r.border=0,r.display="none",i.parentNode.appendChild(a);try{O=a.contentWindow,d=O.document.open()}catch(_){n=document.domain,a.src="javascript:var d=document.open();d.domain='"+n+"';void(0);",O=a.contentWindow,d=O.document.open()}if(n)d._boomrl=function(){this.domain=n,t()},d.write("<bo"+"dy onload='document._boomrl();'>");else if(O._boomrl=function(){t()},O.addEventListener)O.addEventListener("load",O._boomrl,!1);else if(O.attachEvent)O.attachEvent("onload",O._boomrl);d.close()}function a(e){window.BOOMR_onload=e&&e.timeStamp||(new Date).getTime()}if(!window.BOOMR||!window.BOOMR.version&&!window.BOOMR.snippetExecuted){window.BOOMR=window.BOOMR||{},window.BOOMR.snippetStart=(new Date).getTime(),window.BOOMR.snippetExecuted=!0,window.BOOMR.snippetVersion=12,window.BOOMR.url=n+"MBVDT-3L9KY-36ZMJ-SPSAR-JR833";var i=document.currentScript||document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0],o=!1,r=document.createElement("link");if(r.relList&&"function"==typeof r.relList.supports&&r.relList.supports("preload")&&"as"in r)window.BOOMR.snippetMethod="p",r.href=window.BOOMR.url,r.rel="preload",r.as="script",r.addEventListener("load",e),r.addEventListener("error",function(){t(!0)}),setTimeout(function(){if(!o)t(!0)},3e3),BOOMR_lstart=(new Date).getTime(),i.parentNode.appendChild(r);else t(!1);if(window.addEventListener)window.addEventListener("load",a,!1);else if(window.attachEvent)window.attachEvent("onload",a)}}(),"".length>0)if(e&&"performance"in e&&e.performance&&"function"==typeof e.performance.setResourceTimingBufferSize)e.performance.setResourceTimingBufferSize();!function(){if(BOOMR=e.BOOMR||{},BOOMR.plugins=BOOMR.plugins||{},!BOOMR.plugins.AK){var n=""=="true"?1:0,t="",a="bdpnbeqxgqucez2cj5gq-f-a7737af8c-clientnsv4-s.akamaihd.net",i="false"=="true"?2:1,o={"ak.v":"39","ak.cp":"55818","ak.ai":parseInt("290690",10),"ak.ol":"0","ak.cr":0,"ak.ipv":4,"ak.proto":"http/1.1","ak.rid":"7831d4c6","ak.r":41723,"ak.a2":n,"ak.m":"dsca","ak.n":"essl","ak.bpcip":"8.222.208.0","ak.cport":33662,"ak.gh":"23.52.40.30","ak.quicv":"","ak.tlsv":"tls1.2","ak.0rtt":"","ak.0rtt.ed":"","ak.csrc":"-","ak.acc":"reno","ak.t":"1732398925","ak.ak":"hOBiQwZUYzCg5VSAfCLimQ==tIMBXutZ+C8Tj8SG/KkpQ7JIH7tHNn0FYpGrWnKrLskiwJ7nSeMdKSjvEZavGogzv32n5Xoe47LSpFb3HTk0AejtpJdz9ZUTcVY/LfiZ/QsqFHWqOcLl4dTk7vcsEcCiOCNG6X7lXiq98cfadIni0KHLNOObgOO039W8KXDmYERq6spdWr0au+VdTCchTdwtfUMR3TVIXsPuTmvZUzCbGSGwKb6fGuG0981S4FsQHZW8Draow5tHOp1a5S5iYFGgKfRXO7HLJdhshClTR7CckbaeoIRhNPfWkzUcVDOi1mhCVFDi+8pqHvAbCfqvFURbGuDOT9ygoQz4JaAohHGR3qqXbrzddTg9rjzjdAVQgKhbBZ0oA1uMsRBll4sbrAOqjUUtlnm31Tv4oCfkUzoCV8F/nKtzjEQwtWGb2n61BpI=","ak.pv":"97","ak.dpoabenc":"","ak.tf":i};if(""!==t)o["ak.ruds"]=t;var r={i:!1,av:function(n){var t="http.initiator";if(n&&(!n[t]||"spa_hard"===n[t]))o["ak.feo"]=void 0!==e.aFeoApplied?1:0,BOOMR.addVar(o)},rv:function(){var e=["ak.bpcip","ak.cport","ak.cr","ak.csrc","ak.gh","ak.ipv","ak.m","ak.n","ak.ol","ak.proto","ak.quicv","ak.tlsv","ak.0rtt","ak.0rtt.ed","ak.r","ak.acc","ak.t","ak.tf"];BOOMR.removeVar(e)}};BOOMR.plugins.AK={akVars:o,akDNSPreFetchDomain:a,init:function(){if(!r.i){var e=BOOMR.subscribe;e("before_beacon",r.av,null,null),e("onbeacon",r.rv,null,null),r.i=!0}return this},is_complete:function(){return!0}}}}()}(window);</script></head><body id="news" class="news tmplNewsStory story-layout is-buildout no-transcript has-no-branding id796427696 " data-pjax-modules="util/env images/lazy-load data-consent data-management-platform header-bidding metrics nielsen nielsenDCR copyright auto-refresh navigation/global-navigation fitvids googletag dfp globalfooter persistent-audio player/more-options player/audio-module-clickable what-input metrics/doubleclickFloodlight callout/on-page-callouts global-alerts we-are-hiring piano rum ecommerce recommendations/end-of-story-recommendations-callout jw social/share slideshow images/enlargement contentfooter story/date-tooltip social/sharepop podcast-cards search/faceting-param local/newsletter/callout social/recaptcha">  <noscript><iframe src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-MVD397M" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <div class="skip-links"> <span>Accessibility links</span> <ul> <li><a href="#mainContent" class="skiplink">Skip to main content</a></li> <li><a href="https://help.npr.org/contact/s/article?name=what-are-the-keyboard-shortcuts-for-using-the-npr-org-audio-player" class="skiplink">Keyboard shortcuts for audio player</a></li> </ul> </div> <header class="npr-header" id="globalheader" aria-label="NPR header"> <nav class="navigation"> <div class="navigation__top-level-wrap" data-metrics-category-ga4="recirculation"> <ul class="navigation__top-level"> <li class="navigation__toggle-wrap"> <button id="navigation__toggle--open" class="navigation__toggle navigation__toggle--open" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"open navigation menu","clickType":"global navigation"}'> Open Navigation Menu </button> </li> <li class="navigation__home"> <a href="/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"npr logo","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"\/"}'> <img src="https://media.npr.org/chrome_svg/npr-logo.svg" alt="NPR logo"/> </a> </li> <li id="navigation__station-mount"></li> <li class="navigation__newsletters"> <div class="navigation__newsletters-inner"> <a href="/newsletters/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"newsletters","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/newsletters/"}' target='_blank'>Newsletters</a> </div> </li> <li id="user-account-dropdown-mount" class="navigation__account"></li> <li class="navigation__shop"> <a href="https://shopnpr.org" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"npr shop","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"https://shopnpr.org"}'>NPR Shop</a> </li> <li id="navigation__station-donate-mount"></li> </ul> </div> <section id="main-menu" class="menu menu--main" data-metrics-category-ga4="recirculation"> <div class="menu__inner"> <header class="menu__header"> <button id="navigation__toggle--close" class="navigation__toggle navigation__toggle--close" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="true" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"close navigation menu","clickType":"global navigation"}'> Close <span>Navigation Menu</span> </button> </header> <ul class="menu__list"> <li class="menu__item menu__item--home"> <div class="menu__item-inner"><a href="/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"npr logo","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"\/"}'>Home</a></div> </li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--news menu__item--has-submenu"> <div class="menu__item-inner"> <a href="/sections/news/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"news","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/news/"}'>News</a> <button class="menu__toggle-submenu" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"toggle news drawer","clickType":"global navigation"}'>Expand/collapse submenu for News</button> </div> <ul class="submenu submenu--news"> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/elections/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"election2024","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/elections/"}'>Election 2024</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/national/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"national","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/national/"}'>National</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/world/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"world","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/world/"}'>World</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/politics/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"politics","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/politics/"}'>Politics</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/business/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"business","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/business/"}'>Business</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/health/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"health","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/health/"}'>Health</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/science/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"science","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/science/"}'>Science</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/climate/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"climate","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/climate/"}'>Climate</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/codeswitch/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"race","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/codeswitch/"}'>Race</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--culture menu__item--has-submenu"> <div class="menu__item-inner"> <a href="/sections/culture/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"culture","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/culture/"}'>Culture</a> <button class="menu__toggle-submenu" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"toggle culture drawer","clickType":"global navigation"}'>Expand/collapse submenu for Culture</button> </div> <ul class="submenu submenu--culture"> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/books/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"books","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/books/"}'>Books</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/movies/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"movies","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/movies/"}'>Movies</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/television/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"television","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/television/"}'>Television</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/pop-culture/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"pop culture","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/pop-culture/"}'>Pop Culture</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/food/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"food","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/food/"}'>Food</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/art-design/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"art & design","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/art-design/"}'>Art & Design</a> </li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/performing-arts/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"performing arts","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/performing-arts/"}'>Performing Arts</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/lifekit/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"life kit","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/lifekit/"}'>Life Kit</a></li> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/sections/gaming/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"gaming","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/sections/gaming/"}'>Gaming</a></li> </ul> </li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--music menu__item--has-submenu"> <div class="menu__item-inner"> <a href="/music/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"music","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/music/"}'>Music</a> <button class="menu__toggle-submenu" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"toggle music drawer","clickType":"global navigation"}'>Expand/collapse submenu for Music</button> </div> <ul class="submenu submenu--music"><li class="submenu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"all songs considered","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/allsongs\/"}' > All Songs Considered </a> </li><li class="submenu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/music-features" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"music features","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/music-features"}' > Music Features </a> </li><li class="submenu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/series/tiny-desk-concerts/" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"tiny desk","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/tiny-desk-concerts\/"}' > Tiny Desk </a> </li><li class="submenu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/series/770565791/npr-music-live-sessions" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"live sessions","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/770565791\/npr-music-live-sessions"}' > Live Sessions </a> </li></ul> </li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--shows-podcasts menu__item--has-submenu"> <div class="menu__item-inner"> <a href="/podcasts-and-shows/" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"podcasts & shows","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/podcasts-and-shows/"}'>Podcasts & Shows</a> <button class="menu__toggle-submenu" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"toggle podcasts & shows drawer","clickType":"global navigation"}'>Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows</button> </div> <div class="submenu submenu--shows-podcasts"> <span class="submenu__category submenu__category--daily">Daily</span> <ul class="submenu__list submenu__list--daily"> <li class="submenu__item submenu__item--timed submenu__item--weekday hidden"> <a href="/programs/morning-edition/" data-metrics-action="click morning edition" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"morning edition","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/programs/morning-edition/"}'> <img src="https://media.npr.org/chrome/programs/logos/morning-edition.jpg" loading="lazy" alt="" /> Morning Edition </a> </li> <li class="submenu__item submenu__item--timed submenu__item--saturday hidden" > <a href="/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/" data-metrics-action="click weekend edition saturday" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"weekend edition saturday","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/programs/weekend-edition-saturday/"}'> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/02/26/we_otherentitiestemplatesat_sq-cbde87a2fa31b01047441e6f34d2769b0287bcd4-s100-c85.png" loading="lazy" alt="" /> Weekend Edition Saturday </a> </li> <li class="submenu__item submenu__item--timed submenu__item--sunday hidden"> <a href="/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/" data-metrics-action="click weekend edition sunday" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"weekend edition sunday","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/programs/weekend-edition-sunday/"}'> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/02/26/we_otherentitiestemplatesun_sq-4a03b35e7e5adfa446aec374523a578d54dc9bf5-s100-c85.png" loading="lazy" alt="" /> Weekend Edition Sunday </a> </li> <li class="submenu__item"> <a href="/programs/all-things-considered/" data-metrics-action="click all things considered" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"all things considered","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/programs/all-things-considered/"}'> <img src="https://media.npr.org/chrome/programs/logos/all-things-considered.png" loading="lazy" alt="" /> All Things Considered </a> </li> <li class="submenu__item"> <a href="/programs/fresh-air/" data-metrics-action="click fresh air" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"fresh air","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/programs/fresh-air/"}'> <img src="https://media.npr.org/chrome/programs/logos/fresh-air.png" loading="lazy" alt="" /> Fresh Air </a> </li> <li class="submenu__item"> <a href="/podcasts/510318/up-first/" data-metrics-action="click up first" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"up first","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/podcasts/510318/up-first/"}'> <img src="https://media.npr.org/chrome/programs/logos/up-first.jpg?version=2" loading="lazy" alt="" /> Up First </a> </li> </ul> <span class="submenu__category submenu__category--featured">Featured</span> <ul class="submenu__list submenu__list--featured"><li class="submenu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510310/npr-politics-podcast" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"the npr politics podcast","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/podcasts\/510310\/npr-politics-podcast"}' > <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/01/11/podcast-politics_2023_update1_sq-be7ef464dd058fe663d9e4cfe836fb9309ad0a4d-s100-c100.jpg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/01/11/podcast-politics_2023_update1_sq-be7ef464dd058fe663d9e4cfe836fb9309ad0a4d-s100.jpg" class=" lazy" alt="" loading="lazy" /> The NPR Politics Podcast </a> </li><li class="submenu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510333/throughline" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"throughline","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/podcasts\/510333\/throughline"}' > <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/05/15/throughline_tile-art_sq-b72bcfb6d8705d7761d4f421f0be3047631b709c-s100-c100.jpg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/05/15/throughline_tile-art_sq-b72bcfb6d8705d7761d4f421f0be3047631b709c-s100.jpg" class=" lazy" alt="" loading="lazy" /> Throughline </a> </li><li class="submenu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510374/trumps-terms" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"trump's terms","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/podcasts\/510374\/trumps-terms"}' > <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/11/20/trumps-terms_tile-art_sq-09be0b471c4010c009718fe1a5b962defaf277c8-s100-c100.jpg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/11/20/trumps-terms_tile-art_sq-09be0b471c4010c009718fe1a5b962defaf277c8-s100.jpg" class=" lazy" alt="" loading="lazy" /> Trump's Terms </a> </li><li class="submenu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510379/wild-card-with-rachel-martin" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"wild card with rachel martin","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/podcasts\/510379\/wild-card-with-rachel-martin"}' > <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/04/19/tile-wild-card-with-rachel-martin_sq-c9e842a167bab21c50f45fbde9d7d33776e87eda-s100-c100.jpg" data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/04/19/tile-wild-card-with-rachel-martin_sq-c9e842a167bab21c50f45fbde9d7d33776e87eda-s100.jpg" class=" lazy" alt="" loading="lazy" /> Wild Card with Rachel Martin </a> </li></ul> <ul class="submenu__list submenu__list--directories"> <li class="submenu__item"><a href="/podcasts-and-shows/" data-metrics-action="click podcasts & shows" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"podcasts & shows","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/podcasts-and-shows/"}'>More Podcasts & Shows</a></li> </ul> </div> </li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--search"> <div class="menu__item-inner"> <a href="/search/" id="navigation_dropdown-search" data-metrics-action="click search" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"search","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/search/"}'>Search</a> </div> </li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--newsletters"> <div class="menu__item-inner"> <a href="/newsletters/" data-metrics-action="click newsletters" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"newsletters","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/newsletters/"}' target='_blank'>Newsletters</a> </div> </li> <li id="user-account-dropdown-mount-two" class="menu__item menu__item--account"></li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--shop"> <div class="menu__item-inner"> <a href="https://shopnpr.org" data-metrics-action="click npr shop" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"npr shop","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"https://shopnpr.org"}'>NPR Shop</a> </div> </li> </ul> </div> </section> <section class="menu menu--music" data-metrics-category-ga4="recirculation"> <div class="menu__list-wrap"> <ul class="menu__list menu__list--ecosystem menu__list--music"> <li class="menu__item menu__item--music-home"> <a href="/music/" data-metrics-action="click npr music logo" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"npr music logo","clickType":"global navigation","clickUrl":"/music/"}'> <img src="https://media.npr.org/chrome_svg/music-logo-dark.svg" class="music-logo" alt="NPR Music" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/chrome_svg/music-logo-light.svg" class="music-logo-alt" alt="NPR Music" /> </a> </li> <li class="menu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"all songs considered","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/allsongs\/"}' > All Songs Considered </a> </li><li class="menu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/music-features" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"music features","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/music-features"}' > Music Features </a> </li><li class="menu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/series/tiny-desk-concerts/" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"tiny desk","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/tiny-desk-concerts\/"}' > Tiny Desk </a> </li><li class="menu__item"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/series/770565791/npr-music-live-sessions" data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"recirculation","action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"live sessions","clickType":"music ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/series\/770565791\/npr-music-live-sessions"}' > Live Sessions </a> </li> </ul> </div> </section> <section class="menu menu--about" data-metrics-category-ga4="recirculation"> <div class="menu__list-wrap"> <ul class="menu__list menu__list--ecosystem menu__list--about"> <li class="menu__item menu__item--about-home"><a href="/about/" data-metrics-action="click about npr" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"about npr","clickType":"about ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"/about/"}'>About NPR</a></li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--about-diversity"><a href="/diversity/" data-metrics-action="click diversity" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"diversity","clickType":"about ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"/diversity/"}'>Diversity</a></li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--about-support"><a href="/support/" data-metrics-action="click support" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"support","clickType":"about ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"/support/"}'>Support</a></li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--about-careers"><a href="/careers/" data-metrics-action="click careers" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"careers","clickType":"about ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"/careers/"}'>Careers</a></li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--about-press"><a href="/series/750003/press-room/" data-metrics-action="click press" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"press","clickType":"about ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"/series/750003/press-room/"}'>Press</a></li> <li class="menu__item menu__item--about-ethics"><a href="/ethics/" data-metrics-action="click ethics" data-metrics-ga4='{"action":"global_navigation_click","clickName":"ethics","clickType":"about ecosystem navigation","clickUrl":"/ethics/"}'>Ethics</a></li> </ul> </div> </section> </nav> </header><main aria-label="main content"><div class="speakable"> <b data-is-speakable>Tinder, OKCupid, Grindr And Other Apps Share Personal Data With Advertisers</b> <b data-is-speakable>Researchers in Norway say the data-sharing appears to violate European data privacy laws. In the U.S., groups are asking state and federal regulators to investigate whether the practices are illegal.</b> </div> <div id="wrapper"> <header class="contentheader contentheader--one"></header> <section id="main-section"><article class="story"><a id="mainContent"></a><div class="slug-wrap"> <h3 class="slug"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/technology/">Technology</a> </h3> </div> <div class="storytitle"> <h1>Study: Tinder, Grindr And Other Apps Share Sensitive Personal Data With Advertisers</h1> <input type="hidden" id="title796427696" value="Study: Tinder, Grindr And Other Apps Share Sensitive Personal Data With Advertisers" /> <input type="hidden" id="shortTitle796427696" value="Study: Tinder, Grindr And Other Apps Share Sensitive Personal Data With Advertisers" /> <input type="hidden" id="modelFullUrl796427696" value="https://www.npr.org/2020/01/14/796427696/study-grindr-tindr-and-other-apps-share-sensitive-personal-data-with-advertisers" /> </div>  <div id="story-meta" class="story-meta has-byline"> <div class="story-meta__one"> <div class="story-meta__one-inner"> <div class="dateblock"> <time datetime="2020-01-14T19:03:23-05:00"> <span class="date">January 14, 2020</span><span class="time">7:03 PM ET</span> </time> </div> </div>  </div>  <div class="story-meta__two"> <div id="storybyline" class="storybyline-wrap linkLocation"> <div class="bucketwrap byline"> <div class="byline-container--block"> <div class="byline byline--block byline--has-link" aria-label="Byline"> <div class="byline__photo"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/638550790/bobby-allyn" rel="author"> <picture><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/20/wany3565_sq-c1d3894b615f19a72a094168c0823f027a2fb667.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=webp" class="img" type="image/webp" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/20/wany3565_sq-c1d3894b615f19a72a094168c0823f027a2fb667.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="webp" /><source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/20/wany3565_sq-c1d3894b615f19a72a094168c0823f027a2fb667.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" type="image/jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/20/wany3565_sq-c1d3894b615f19a72a094168c0823f027a2fb667.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /><img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/20/wany3565_sq-c1d3894b615f19a72a094168c0823f027a2fb667.jpg?s=100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" alt="Bobby Allyn" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/05/20/wany3565_sq-c1d3894b615f19a72a094168c0823f027a2fb667.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /></picture> </a> </div> <p class="byline__name byline__name--block"> <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/638550790/bobby-allyn" rel="author"> Bobby Allyn </a> </p> </div> </div> </div>  </div> </div>  </div>  <div id="storytext" class="storytext storylocation linkLocation"> <div id="res796476948" class="bucketwrap image large"> <div class="imagewrap has-source-dimensions" data-crop-type="" style=" --source-width: 3000; --source-height: 2107; " > <picture> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_custom-4553832d2a59d228e7135a6b006889234c7c5483.jpg?s=1100&c=85&f=webp" class="img" type="image/webp" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_custom-4553832d2a59d228e7135a6b006889234c7c5483.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="webp" /> <source srcset="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_custom-4553832d2a59d228e7135a6b006889234c7c5483.jpg?s=1100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" type="image/jpeg" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_custom-4553832d2a59d228e7135a6b006889234c7c5483.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /> <img src="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_custom-4553832d2a59d228e7135a6b006889234c7c5483.jpg?s=1100&c=85&f=jpeg" class="img" alt="" data-template="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_custom-4553832d2a59d228e7135a6b006889234c7c5483.jpg?s={width}&c={quality}&f={format}" data-format="jpeg" /> </picture> <div class="enlarge-options"> <a class="enlargelink" href="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_custom-4553832d2a59d228e7135a6b006889234c7c5483.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg">Enlarge this image</a> </div> </div> <div class="credit-caption"> <div class="caption-wrap"> <div class="caption" aria-label="Image caption"> <p> Dating apps, including Tinder, give sensitive information about users to marketing companies, according to a Norwegian study released Tuesday. <b class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Joe Raedle/Getty Images </b> <b class="hide-caption"><b>hide caption</b></b> </p> </div> <b class="toggle-caption"><b>toggle caption</b></b> </div> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Joe Raedle/Getty Images </span> </div> <div class="enlarge_measure"> <div class="img_wrap"> <picture> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_custom-4553832d2a59d228e7135a6b006889234c7c5483.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=webp" type="image/webp"> <source data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_custom-4553832d2a59d228e7135a6b006889234c7c5483.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" type="image/jpeg"> <img data-original="https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2020/01/14/gettyimages-1016772950_custom-4553832d2a59d228e7135a6b006889234c7c5483.jpg?s=2600&c=100&f=jpeg" alt="" /> </picture> </div> </div> <div class="enlarge_html"> <div class="image_data"> <p class="caption">Dating apps, including Tinder, give sensitive information about users to marketing companies, according to a Norwegian study released Tuesday.</p> <span class="credit" aria-label="Image credit"> Joe Raedle/Getty Images </span> </div> </div> </div> <p>A group of civil rights and consumer groups is <a href="https://www.citizen.org/article/popular-dating-health-apps-violate-privacy/">urging</a> federal and state regulators to examine a number of mobile apps, including popular dating apps Grindr, Tinder and OKCupid for allegedly sharing personal information with advertising companies.</p> <p>The push by the privacy rights coalition follows a <a href="https://fil.forbrukerradet.no/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-01-14-out-of-control-final-version.pdf">report</a> published on Tuesday by the Norwegian Consumer Council that found 10 apps collect sensitive information including a user's exact location, sexual orientation, religious and political beliefs, drug use and other information and then transmit the personal data to at least 135 different third-party companies. </p> <p>The data harvesting, according to the Norwegian government agency, appears to violate the European Union's rules intended to protect people's online data, known as the General Data Protection Regulation. </p> <aside id="ad-backstage-wrap" class="ad-wrap backstage" aria-label="advertisement"> <div class="ad-header "><span>Sponsor Message</span></div> <div id="ad-backstage-News_Technology" class="ad-config ad-backstage has-refresh-enabled" data-ad-config='{"network":"\/6735\/","site":{"desktop":"n6735.NPR","mobile":"n6735.NPRMOBILE"},"zone":"News_Technology","targets":{"testserver":"false","isPodcastEpisode":"false","storyId":"796427696","agg":["434975886","593868387"]},"location":"backstage","deferred":false,"isBetweenContent":true,"overflowCount":null,"hasRefreshEnabled":true,"isOutstreamVideoEnabled":true}'></div> <div class="ad-footer "></div> </aside> <p>In the U.S., consumer groups are equally alarmed. The group urging regulators to act on the Norwegian study, led by government watchdog group Public Citizen, says Congress should use the findings as a roadmap to pass a new law patterned after Europe's tough data privacy rules that took effect in 2018. </p> <p>"These apps and online services spy on people, collect vast amounts of personal data and share it with third parties without people's knowledge. Industry calls it adtech. We call it surveillance," said Burcu Kilic, a lawyer who leads the digital rights program at Public Citizen. "We need to regulate it now, before it's too late." </p> <p>The Norwegian study, which looks only at apps on Android phones, traces the journey a user's personal information takes before it arrives at marketing companies. </p> <p>For example, Grindr's app includes Twitter-owned advertising software, which collects and processes personal information and unique identifiers such as a phone's ID and IP address, allowing advertising companies to track consumers across devices. This Twitter-owned go-between for personal data is controlled by a firm called MoPub. </p> <p>"Grindr only lists Twitter's MoPub as an advertising partner, and encourages users to read the privacy policies of MoPub's own partners to understand how data is used. MoPub lists more than 160 partners, which clearly makes it impossible for users to give an informed consent to how each of these partners may use personal data," the <a href="https://fil.forbrukerradet.no/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-01-14-out-of-control-final-version.pdf">report</a> states. </p> <aside id="ad-secondary-wrap" class="ad-wrap secondary" aria-label="advertisement"> <div class="ad-header "><span>Sponsor Message</span></div> <div id="ad-secondary-News_Technology" class="ad-config ad-secondary has-refresh-enabled" data-ad-config='{"network":"\/6735\/","site":{"desktop":"NPRSecondary","mobile":"NPRMobileSecondary"},"zone":"News_Technology","targets":{"testserver":"false","isPodcastEpisode":"false","storyId":"796427696","agg":["434975886","593868387"]},"location":"secondary","deferred":false,"isBetweenContent":true,"overflowCount":null,"hasRefreshEnabled":true,"isOutstreamVideoEnabled":false}'></div> <div class="ad-footer "></div> </aside> <p>This is not the first time Grindr has become embroiled in controversy over data sharing. In 2018, the dating app <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/03/599069424/grindr-admits-it-shared-hiv-status-of-users">announced</a> it would stop sharing users' HIV status with companies following a report in <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/azeenghorayshi/grindr-hiv-status-privacy#.yp0J48W0N">BuzzFeed</a> exposing the practice, leading AIDS advocates to raise questions about health, safety and personal privacy. </p> <p>The latest data violations unearthed by the Norwegian researchers come the same month California <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/12/30/791190150/california-rings-in-the-new-year-with-a-new-data-privacy-law">enacted</a> the strongest data privacy law in the U.S. Under the law, known as the California Consumer Privacy Act, consumers can opt out of the sale of their personal information. If tech companies do not comply, the law permits the user to sue. </p> <p>In its <a href="https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/CA-AG-Out-of-Control-NCC-1.14.20.pdf">letter</a> sent Tuesday to the California attorney general, the ACLU of California argues that the practice described in the Norwegian report may violate the state's new data privacy law, in addition to constituting possible unfair and deceptive practices, which is unlawful in California. </p> <p>A Twitter spokesperson said in a statement that the company has suspended advertising software used by Grindr highlighted in the report as the company reviews the study's findings. </p> <p>"We are currently investigating this issue to understand the sufficiency of Grindr's consent mechanism. In the meantime, we have disabled Grindr's MoPub account," a Twitter spokesperson told NPR. </p> <p>The study found the dating app OKCupid shared details about a user's sexuality, drug use, political views and more to an analytics company called Braze. </p> <p>The Match Group, the company that owns OKCupid and Tinder, said in a statement that privacy was at the core of its business, saying it only shares information to third parties that comply with applicable laws. </p> <p>"All Match Group products obtain from these vendors strict contractual commitments that ensure confidentiality, security of users' personal information and strictly prohibit commercialization of this data," a company spokesman said. </p> <p>Many app users, the study noted, never try to read or understand the privacy policies before using an app. But even if the policies are studied, the Norwegian researchers say the legalese-filled documents sometimes do not provide a complete picture of what is happening with a person's personal information. </p> <aside id="ad-third-wrap" class="ad-wrap third" aria-label="advertisement"> <div class="ad-header "><span>Sponsor Message</span></div> <div id="ad-third-News_Technology" class="ad-config ad-third has-refresh-enabled" data-ad-config='{"network":"\/6735\/","site":{"desktop":"NPRThird","mobile":"NPRMobileThird"},"zone":"News_Technology","targets":{"testserver":"false","isPodcastEpisode":"false","storyId":"796427696","agg":["434975886","593868387"]},"location":"third","deferred":false,"isBetweenContent":true,"overflowCount":null,"hasRefreshEnabled":true,"isOutstreamVideoEnabled":false}'></div> <div class="ad-footer "></div> </aside> <p>"If one actually attempts to read the privacy policy of any given app, the third parties who may receive personal data are often not mentioned by name. If the third parties are actually listed, the consumer then has to read the privacy policies of these third parties to understand how they may use the data," the study says. </p> <p>"In other words, it is practically impossible for the consumer to have even a basic overview of what and where their personal data might be transmitted, or how it is used, even from only a single app." </p> </div> <div class="correction"> <h5 class="hdr">Correction<span class="date"> Jan. 15, 2020</span></h5> <p>A previous headline misspelled Tinder as Tindr. </p> </div> <div class="tags"> <ul> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/131412377/okcupid">OkCupid</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/256572270/tinder">Tinder</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/796427780/grindr">Grindr</a></li> <li><a class="tag tag--story"href="https://www.npr.org/tags/796427847/data-privacy">Data privacy</a></li> </ul> </div>  <div class="share-tools share-tools--secondary" aria-label="Share tools"> <ul> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--facebook"><button class="fbStory796427696" data-share-facebook='{"storyId": "796427696" }' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"facebook"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Facebook</b></button></li> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--flipboard"><button class="story796427696" data-share-flipboard='{"storyId": "796427696" }' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"flipboard"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Flipboard</b></button></li> <li class="share-tools__service share-tools__service--email"><button class='share-tools__email-link' data-story-id='796427696' data-metrics-ga4='{"category":"share","action":"share","clickName":"email"}' ><b class="share-tools__service-name">Email</b></button></li> </ul> </div>  <div id="newsletter-acquisition-callout-data" data-newsletter="{"newsletterId":"body-electric","title":"Body Electric","marketingHeader":"Sign Up for the Body Electric Challenge","frequency":"","shortDescription":"Our bodies are adapting and changing to meet the demands of the Information Age. Body Electric is an interactive project with TED Radio Hour host, Manoush Zomorodi, that will take you on a journey to understand the impact of tech on your body and how to live better with your devices.","stickyDescription":"Get actionable steps on how to manage tech in your life.","contentImage":" ","staticMarkupDir":"NA","brandingDir":" ","brandingLink":" ","recaptchaSiteKey":"6LfD6CYUAAAAAIBeUekwZ9KCjF4UyLFtu7NWNaEK"}"> </div>  <div id="callout-end-of-story-mount"> </div>  <div id="callout-end-of-story-mount-piano-wrap" class="callout-end-of-story-mount-piano-wrap"> <div id="callout-end-of-story-mount-piano" class="callout-end-of-story-mount-piano"> </div>  </div>  <aside id="end-of-story-recommendations-mount" class="recommended-stories" aria-label="recommended stories"></aside>  </article><footer id="npr-footer" class="npr-footer" role="contentinfo" aria-label="NPR footer"><div class="npr-footer__content"> <div class="npr-footer__module-group"> <div class="npr-footer__module"> <h6 class="npr-footer__header">Read & Listen</h6> <ul> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/sections/news/">News</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/sections/culture/">Culture</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/music/">Music</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/podcasts-and-shows" >Podcasts & Shows</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="npr-footer__module"> <h6 class="npr-footer__header">Connect</h6> <ul> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/newsletters/" target='_blank'>Newsletters</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NPR/" >Facebook</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/npr/">Instagram</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/press/">Press</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/sections/publiceditor/">Public Editor</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/corrections/">Corrections</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="https://help.npr.org/contact/s/">Contact & Help</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="npr-footer__module"> <h6 class="npr-footer__header">About NPR</h6> <ul> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/about/">Overview</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/diversity/">Diversity</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/network/" target="_blank">NPR Network</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/about-npr/1136563345/accessibility">Accessibility</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/ethics/">Ethics</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/about-npr/178660742/public-radio-finances">Finances</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="npr-footer__module"> <h6 class="npr-footer__header">Get Involved</h6> <ul> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/support/">Support Public Radio</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/about-npr/186948703/corporate-sponsorship">Sponsor NPR</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/careers/">NPR Careers</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="https://shopnpr.org/">NPR Shop</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="https://www.nprpresents.org">NPR Events</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/sections/npr-extra/">NPR Extra</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div class="npr-footer__module npr-footer__module--secondary"> <ul> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/about-npr/179876898/terms-of-use">Terms of Use</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">Privacy</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy#yourchoices">Your Privacy Choices</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><a href="https://text.npr.org/">Text Only</a></li> <li class="npr-footer__item"><span class="copy-year"></span></li> </ul> </div> </div> </footer><div id="global-stickybar-mount" class="global-stickybar-mount"> </div> <div id="global-stickybar-mount-piano-wrap" class="global-stickybar"> <div id="global-stickybar-mount-piano" class="global-stickybar-mount-piano"> </div> </div> </section> <div id="main-sidebar"> <aside id="ad-standard-wrap" class="ad-wrap standard" aria-label="advertisement"> <div id="ad-standard-News_Technology" class="ad-config ad-standard has-refresh-enabled" data-ad-config='{"network":"\/6735\/","site":{"desktop":"n6735.NPR","mobile":"n6735.NPRMOBILE"},"zone":"News_Technology","targets":{"testserver":"false","isPodcastEpisode":"false","storyId":"796427696","agg":["434975886","593868387"]},"location":"standard","deferred":false,"isBetweenContent":false,"overflowCount":null,"hasRefreshEnabled":true,"isOutstreamVideoEnabled":false}'></div> <p class="left">Sponsor Message</p><p class="right"><a href="/about-npr/186948703/corporate-sponsorship">Become an NPR sponsor</a></p> </aside> </div>  </div>  <section id="global-modal-mount"></section>  <script type="text/javascript"> (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[21],{1119:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(307)},307:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(91),c.e(73)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1091),c(62),c(76),c(36),c(167),c(124),c(63),c(65),c(1092),c(85),c(1093),c(300),c(1094),c(75),c(1095)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1119,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })(); </script> </main></body></html>

CINXE.COM

Tinder, OKCupid, Grindr And Other Apps Share Personal Data With Advertisers : NPR