How To Delete All Your Data From Grindr

Rightly, Champions of Data, empowers you to easily and securely manage your personal online data.

On this page we’ll explain why it’s a good idea to get your data deleted from Grindr and how to go about it. Or if you just want to get started, click the Start Now button which will take you directly to our Rightly Protect service, enabling you to find out who has your data and get it deleted, quickly and for free.

In 2021, Grindr was fined over €6 million by Norway for breaking data privacy rules. The company was found to have shared users' personal data - without their permission - with hundreds of potential advertising partners. In 2020, the Norwegian Consumer Council first filed a complaint against Grindr, saying the company had illegally shared users' GPS locations, IP addresses, ages, gender, and their use of the app. Even as recently as 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported that the leaked data was still obtainable.

Grindr encourages users to share their location and generate specific data sets that can be used to reconstruct data about individual users. It creates a potential problem because being gay remains a crime in certain countries. Such information could put people in danger of prosecution and punishment, with the death penalty enforced in some locations.

What we’ll cover

  1. Can I delete my data from Grindr?
  2. How do I delete data from Grindr?
  3. How long until Grindr responds?
  4. Does Grindr actually delete your data ?
  5. What type of data does Grindr store on me?
  6. What does Grindr do with my data?
  7. Why delete my data from Grindr?

Can I delete my data from Grindr?

Yes you can! You have the right to ask any company to delete all the data they hold on you and they have to comply within 30 days. This right flows from GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) legislation and if companies don’t comply without a valid reason, they can be in trouble.

How do I delete data from Grindr?

The easiest way to get your data deleted from companies like Grindr is to use our Rightly Protect service. In addition to picking Grindr and asking them to erase your data, you can use our service to analyse your email inbox to figure out all the companies that have your data. Then you can ask all of them to delete the data they hold on you in one click. Because many companies have your data, even companies you’ve never heard of, and it often runs into hundreds or even thousands of organisations putting your data at risk.

How long until Grindr responds?

Grindr should reply within one calendar month. If they have genuine reasons that they need extra time to consider your request, they can take up to an extra two months - but they should let you know within one month that they need more time and the reasons why. If you’re unhappy with how they respond, you can make a complaint to Grindr and then if you’re still unhappy, you can complain to the ICO (Information Commissioner’s office).

Does Grindr actually delete your data?

Yes, it’s a legal requirement. After one calendar month has passed since your account deletion request, your account and all of your information will be permanently erased by Grindr, and you will not be able to retrieve it.

What type of data does Grindr store on me?

Grindr can collect a wide range of data from registered users:

  • Names and passwords of account holders
  • Usernames
  • Email addresses
  • Billing address
  • Date of birth
  • Gender
  • Marital status
  • Sexual orientation
  • HIV Status
  • Vaccination status
  • Your chats
  • Images uploaded to your profile or sent via chat
  • Preference choices, and other account settings
  • Messaging services
  • Phone numbers
  • Metadata on how people use the Grindr mobile app and website
  • Transactional data from Grindr owned products and services
  • Data on which devices are linked to which accounts
  • Device model, OS and MAC address, browser type
  • Time zone
  • Precise location
  • Bank details
  • Credit and debit card details
  • Transaction data

Grindr shares Personal Information with a number of third-party partners.

What does Grindr do with my data?

Grindr’s main motive for building a data set around each user is to verify data. They say that they use facial recognition technology to check the authenticity of ID documents by matching a selfie with government records. And also that they share that data amongst other group companies and third parties!

They also use your data to personalise the ads that show up on your feed. Ad targeting changes are made based on a lot of different data: your personal account info, your usage patterns, your location, and more.

But it’s not just your data that shapes your ad feed: Grindr compiles the same kinds of data from a variety of users and uses it to optimise when and where it shows you certain ads on other platforms. The additional data that Grindr collects helps the company to perform strategic market research, communicate directly with users, and counter suspected misuse.

Why delete my data from Grindr?

Grindr has suffered a series of breach attempts and there can be little doubt that hackers will continue attempts to compromise your personal data.

If you’re not using Grindr any more, or think a fresh profile would be a good thing, you can instruct Grindr to delete all the data they have about you and so prevent it from being stolen as a result of a data breach.