TikTok allegedly monitors Grindr activity

TikTok has been accused of secretly monitoring users’ activity on the Grindr app, a European digital rights group has filed a formal complaint, alleging that the social media platform is violating international data protection law.

The Austrian-based organization filed a complaint on December 16, requesting that the country’s Data Protection Authority open an investigation into TikTok, Grindr and digital marketing company AppsFlyer. The complaint alleges that the three companies violated the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by illegally collecting and sharing data about users’ cross-app activity.

NOYB alleges that sensitive data was transferred between TikTok’s parent company ByteDance and Grindr via AppsFlyer. The data allegedly includes personal and behavioral data, including a user’s Grindr usage, LinkedIn account and products they added to their shopping cart.

In a statement to Reuters, the organization said that an anonymous user had contacted them with evidence that TikTok had accessed data from other apps. TikTok allegedly only admitted to having access to their data from other apps after the user repeatedly requested it.

Under the GDPR’s right to information, companies must be transparent about how personal data is collected and used. Withholding this information or failing to inform users is considered a serious legal violation.

Under the rules, companies that violate the GDPR could face fines of up to 10 million euros (about 20 million manats) or 3 percent of global revenue, or in more serious cases, up to 20 million euros (about 40 million manats) or 4 percent of annual global revenue.

The complaint also notes that data such as Grindr usage is considered sensitive personal data that falls under “special categories” under the GDPR. This category includes information such as a person's sexual orientation and gender identity, the unauthorized collection and sharing of which can have serious legal consequences.

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