Grindr was a safe space for gay men. Its HIV status leak betrayed us

The app helped revolutionise the community’s approach to HIV. Sharing that data undoes all its good work

Gay men have always needed safe spaces, somewhere they could congregate without fear of stigma and judgment or, even more essentially, persecution and violence. Over the past several decades, those spaces were more often than not gay bars and clubs, where gay men flocked to be themselves in a way that wasn’t always possible in “polite society”. The fact that there were also scores of men at those establishments looking for casual encounters wasn’t just a bonus, it was often the entire point.

For better or worse, in the digital age the safe space where many gay men are finding that community (and sexual) connection is on Grindr, one of a host of mobile “dating” apps that sorts users based on their proximity to one another. That’s why it was especially troubling when users discovered on Tuesday that Grindr had been sharing their information – including location and HIV status – with third-party firms.

It may surprise some that Grindr would have that sort of sensitive medical information to share with businesses helping them optimise their product, but it’s part of a culture of transparency that the anonymity and ease of the internet has fostered. After all, people are already trading pictures of less visible parts of their anatomy; disclosing HIV status requires less fuss and perspective than a good shot of the meat and potatoes.

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During the Canada Post strike announced September 25, 2025, the following measures will be undertaken to minimize service disruption to BC-CfE clients and providers.

  • The BC-CfE Laboratory has transitioned to private courier for delivery of outgoing reports and documents. Results required urgently can be faxed upon request. (Lab Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8775; FAX 604-806-9463)
  • The BC-CfE Drug Treatment Program (DTP) will fax outgoing forms and documents to the provider’s office. (DTP Contact Information: Phone 604-806-8515; FAX 604-806-9044)
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Ambulatory Pharmacy has transitioned to private courier for delivery of medications. We recommend requesting medication at least 2 weeks in advance in case of delivery delays, particularly to rural/remote parts of BC. (Contact Information: Phone 1-800-547-3622; FAX 604-806-8675)

During the Canada Post strike, we recommend that documents be faxed or couriered to our sites, versus utilization of regular mail service

The BC-CfE Laboratory is streamlining reporting processes for certain tests in order to simplify distribution and record-keeping, and to ensure completeness of results. Beginning September 2, 2025, results for the ‘Resistance Analysis of HIV-1 Protease and Reverse Transcriptase’ (Protease-RT) and ‘HIV-1 Integrase Resistance Genotype’ tests will be combined into a single ‘HIV-1 Resistance Genotype Report’.
For more details and example reports, please click on the button below