Borgarting Court of Appeal has handed down a verdict in the Grindr case on Tuesday 21 October, and Grindr’s appeal over the District Court’s verdict did not succeed. The fine of NOK 65 million (USD $6.4 million) was maintained.
Grindr is a location-based dating app aimed towards gay and bisexual men, transgender people and queer people. In 2020, the Norwegian Consumer Council Grindr lodged a complaint against the app with the Norwegian Data Protection Authority. The context for the complaint was that Grindr disclosed personal data to several third parties for marketing purposes. (Read more on forbrukerradet.no)
The Data Protection Authority concluded that Grindr disclosed personal data about users to third parties for behavioural advertising without a valid consent. Moreover, the fact that someone is a Grindr user was found to constitute data about their sexual orientation or sex life. In December 2021, the Data Protection Authority issued an administrative fine of NOK 65 million.
Read more about the background and appeal at Datatilsynet.