Sex Expert Reveals What You Should Think Twice About Sharing On Dating Apps After Grindr’s £26m Settlement

Dating apps are, by nature, pretty personal – but how much information is actually too much to share?

The question comes as LGBTQ+ dating app Grindr has agreed to a £26 million settlement with thousands of users who alleged it shared their personal data in breach of UK privacy laws, with some cases reportedly including HIV status.

The legal battle began in 2024, when law firm Austen Hays brought a claim in the High Court on behalf of more than 11,000 users, alleging privacy law violations involving data from as early as 2020.

In response, Grindr said: "The settlement includes no findings or admission of liability. While Grindr disputes the allegations, it recognises and acknowledges the distress and loss of trust expressed by some of its UK users regarding that pre-2020 period."

With privacy back in the spotlight, sex and relationships coach Gemma Nice shared what she thinks you should be mindful of when it comes to sharing personal information on dating apps.

1. Your HIV or STI status

Being open with a partner or new connection about your sexual health is important when it comes to safe sex and communication. However, there is a difference between having a private conversation with someone you’re planning to have sex with and putting highly sensitive health information into a digital profile. 

"Your HIV or STI status is medical information and should be treated with the same care as any other sensitive health detail," Nice says.

"If you're discussing your status with a potential partner, have that conversation directly rather than assuming an app is necessarily the safest place to store that information."

2. Your testing history

It's one thing to tell a partner that you've recently been tested. It's another to share details such as exactly when you last tested, what you were tested for or your complete sexual-health history.

The same applies to information about PrEP, contraception, previous diagnoses or treatment.

"Conversations around STI testing are an incredibly positive part of safer sex, but you don't need to publish your entire medical history to prove you're being responsible," she shares. 

3. Your full name, workplace or home location

Dating profiles can already reveal a surprising amount about someone's identity.

Combining a first name with a workplace, social media username or identifiable photograph can make it much easier for someone to figure out exactly who you are and where you spend your time. 

"Think about what individual pieces of information reveal when they're put together," Nice advises.

"A workplace might seem harmless. A favourite local pub might seem harmless. A photograph outside your home might seem harmless. Combined, they can reveal a lot."

4. Photos that reveal more than you intended

Intimate photographs can contain much more identifying information than the person sending them realises.

Backgrounds can reveal homes or locations, while photographs may also contain identifiable tattoos, faces or other personal details.

"Before sending an intimate image, look beyond the person in the photograph and check the entire frame," she says.

"If you wouldn't want someone identifying your home, workplace or other personal details from a photograph, don't accidentally include those details in an intimate image."

5. Screenshots of private conversations or sexual images

Once something has been sent digitally, there's no guarantee that the recipient will be the only person who ever sees it.

Screenshots can be taken, images can be saved, and conversations can potentially be forwarded without the sender's knowledge.

"One of the biggest mistakes people make is assuming that a disappearing message means something has genuinely disappeared," Nice shares. 

"If you're discussing your sexual health, sharing intimate photographs or talking about previous partners, think carefully about whether you would be comfortable with that information existing outside the original conversation."

"The Grindr case is a reminder that the information we share about our sex lives can be far more sensitive than we sometimes realise," Nice from Condoms.uk says. 

"People may think of information about their sexual health as something they're simply sharing with a potential partner, but once it's written into an app profile, sent in a message or included in a photograph, it can become much harder to control."

She continues: "That doesn't mean people should be afraid of talking openly about sexual health. In fact, conversations about testing, contraception and STI status are incredibly important. The key is making sure you're sharing that information intentionally, with the right person, and through a channel you trust."

Additional thumbnail photo credits: Robert Way (iStock) / Chris Dalmas (Getty Images) 

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