As per a new report, ppular dating services like Grindr, OkCupid and Tinder are are leaking the personal details of the users such as dating choices and precise location to advertising and marketing companies in ways that may violate privacy laws. The report examined some apps which comes in the list of most downloaded apps.
The popular Gay dating application Grindr, leaked user-tracking codes and the app’s name to more than a dozen companies specially tagged individuals with their sexual orientation, As per the report, which was released Tuesday by the Norwegian Consumer Council, a government-funded nonprofit organization in Oslo.
The report says that Grindr also sent user’s location to many companies which may be used by many other businesses also. When The New York Times tested Grindr’s Android app, it shared precise latitude and longitude information with five companies.
Not only grindr, But report says that OKCupid app also sent a user’s ethnicity and answers to personal profile questions — like “Have you used psychedelic drugs?” — to a firm that helps companies tailor marketing messages to users. The Times found that the OkCupid site posted more than 300 advertising and analytics “partners” with which it may share users’ information.
“Any consumer with an average number of apps on their phone — anywhere between 40 and 80 apps — will have their data shared with hundreds or perhaps thousands of actors online,” said Finn Myrstad, the digital policy director for the Norwegian Consumer Council, who oversaw the report.
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