Well, this is more than a little creepy…
Now that Grindr has been fully purchased by Kunlun Group Limited, a Hong Kong-based subsidiary of the Chinese video game enterprise Beijing Kunlun Tech Company, a number of former intelligence officials and China experts are on high alert.
Related: CEO Joel Simkhai officially out at Grindr… Will the sexual racism he promotes go with him?
According to a new report published by the Washington Post, the acquisition has many officials and experts who track Chinese intelligence and foreign influence operations in the United States more than a bit concerned.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
The Chinese government is sweeping up massive amounts of data on not only its own citizens, but also Americans and others, as part of a unique and well-planned effort to build files on foreigners for intelligence purposes.
Peter Mattis, a former U.S. government intelligence analyst and China fellow at the Jamestown Foundation, explains the potential dangers:
What you can see from Chinese intelligence practices is a clear effort to collect a lot of personal information on a lot of different people, and to build a database of names that’s potentially useful either for influence or for intelligence. Then later, when the party-state comes into contact with someone in the database, there’s now information to be pulled.
But Peter Sloterdyk, Grindr’s vice president of marketing, says that “privacy and security of users’ personal data is a top priority” and insists that “Grindr remains a U.S. company governed and protected by the laws of the United States.”
Related: Your XXX Searches Aren’t Private, And Here’s Why Everyone Is At Risk
Of course, given who’s in charge of the United States at present, that doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence.
WaPo adds:
“The problem is that the exact role Chinese firms have in supplying data to the Chinese government is unclear,” said Shanthi Kalathil, director of the International Forum for Democratic Studies at the National Endowment for Democracy. “What is assured is that–unlike in a democracy–if the Chinese government demands this kind of data from Chinese companies, the companies have little recourse but to comply.”
What do you think? Is it time to jump the Grindr boat? Share your thoughts in the comments section…
Related: Men Are Posting Full Frontals On Reddit To Stick It To The NSA
Bob LaBlah
I hate to be the one to ask a stupid question but I am. If the Chinese are able to hack into our nuclear weapons development labs, power plants and power grids why would they NOT have already hacked into shit like Grindr already? Surely it had to occur to at least ONE of the three-hundred fifty million man People Liberation Army members that there was a possibility of at lease one high level official (or someone close to them with access to sensitive info) in the U.S. government that might be on a gay hookup site. I keep telling you guys over and over the Chinese are not as stupid as one might think. For those of you who are on those insidious sites I say stay on them and keep on hunting for the trick that will eventually do your ass in.
Paco
Newsflash!!!
The U.S. and most major companies are collecting every bit of data on people they can. Shopping habits, frequent destinations, meal choices, internet usage, media viewing, etc… All for the purpose of understanding and influencing/manipulating people more effectively.
Not sure why Grindr needs to be a concern, unless it is being insinuated that closeted men in sensitive government positions will be blackmailed by the Chinese.
Heywood Jablowme
Anyone who ever put “No Asians” on their Grindr profile will now be sent to a Communist Party re-education camp in an isolated region of Qinghai Province!
And you’ll be forced to have sex with a Chinese guy!
BWA-HA-HA!
mhoffman953
I doubt the Chinese care about regular gay guys sexting each other and trading dick pics BUT what if prominent businessmen, celebrities, or politicians are using Grindr. The Chinese could be cross matching phone numbers, IP addresses, and geolocations to confirm the identities of these people and are collecting their dirty chats and x pics for extortion or blackmail purposes
Heywood Jablowme
“BUT what if prominent businessmen, celebrities, or politicians are using Grindr.”
Republican closet cases are really going to be in trouble. LOL. Non-Republicans are probably going to be openly gay already, so for them it’d only be an issue if they’re into something kinky.
Knight
LOL!!! As if Grindr (and every other free app out there) wasn’t data mining personal info to begin with. Get real.
mhoffman953
@Knight
Exactly. Nearly all apps mine user’s data just look at Angry Birds, Pokemon Go, Google Maps, etc. The list goes on
Knight
Agreed. Anytime you can’t sign up for something anonymously you are giving away your info for data mining.
Creamsicle
Glad to see so many people here realize that social media platforms treat us as the product and NOT the consumer. They want your data and they will not hesitate to use it to use it to funnel you into their business affiliates (i.e.: anyone willing to pay for it).