Grindr didn’t threaten to expose lawmakers using app
FILE - A person looks at the Grindr app on her mobile phone in Beirut, Lebanon, May 29, 2019. On Thursday, March 23, 2023, The Associated Press reported on false claims that Grindr said it would expose high-profile Republican users. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
CLAIM:
The gay dating app Grindr says if Florida doesn’t stop passing homophobic and transphobic laws, it will reveal every Republican legislator and party official who secretly uses the app.
AP’S ASSESSMENT:
False. This claim originated on a satirical account. A spokesperson for Grindr denounced anti-LGBTQ legislation while confirming the app “protects the privacy of all its users.”
THE FACTS:
A popular dating app for the gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community isn’t threatening to expose the identities of its high-profile Republican users, despite widely shared posts claiming otherwise.
Facebook and Twitter users were spreading the claim as real after a Twitter account posted it Wednesday. The Twitter account that initially posted the claim identifies its content as “halfway true content and satire.”
The claim that Grindr said it would expose users reached thousands of likes and shares across social platforms, with some commenters saying they supported the idea.
But a spokesperson for the app confirmed it was unfounded in an email to The Associated Press.
“This claim is false,” said Grindr spokesperson Patrick Lenihan. “Grindr protects the privacy of all its users. Anti-LGBTQ legislation is abominable and cruel, and we vehemently condemn any laws that restrict, deny, or abolish the rights of LGBTQ people.”
Grindr has previously faced criticism and been fined for sharing personal data with third parties that could potentially identify users. The privacy policy on the company’s website outlines how it uses and aims to protect user data. It adds that its goal “is to put you in control of as much of the Personal Information that you share within the Grindr Properties as possible.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is moving to ban classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, expanding the controversial law that critics call “Don’t Say Gay.”
The state’s Republican-led legislature also has proposed a range of laws related to gender and sexuality, including legislation that would ban discussion of periods and other human sexuality topics in elementary grades.
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This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.