Oslo (AFP)
The dating app Grindr faces a record fine of 100 million kronor (9.6 million euros) in Norway for illegal data sharing, the Norwegian data protection authority said on Tuesday.
Claiming to be "the world's largest dating network for gay, bi, trans and queer people," Grindr is accused of sharing GPS coordinates and user profiles with third parties for marketing purposes.
"Our preliminary conclusion is that Grindr has provided personal data about its users to a number of third parties without a legal basis," Datatilsynet director Bjørn Erik Thon said in a statement.
According to the Norwegian authority, this practice is contrary to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) implemented in the European Union in May 2018.
The authority has therefore decided to notify Grindr of a fine representing around 10% of its worldwide turnover, or some 10 million dollars, a level unheard of in the Nordic country.
Grindr has until February 15 to make his case.
The allegations against him date from before April 2020, the date on which the application changed its conditions of use.
In January 2020, the Norwegian Consumer Council lodged a complaint against Grindr and five other apps, including Twitter-controlled MoPub, for violating personal data protection rules.
The other complaints are still being investigated, Datatilsynet said.
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