Chinese company Beijing Kunlun Tech has been ordered by US officials to sell its majority stake in gay-dating app Grindr due to concerns that the Chinese government could exploit sensitive information about the app's users. The move comes after a report from BuzzFeed News revealed that China's Ministry of Public Security had obtained access to user data for more than 100 million users and was using it as part of an investigation The US believes this data could be obtained by the Chinese government and used to blackmail US individuals with security clearances, who could then be coerced into supplying information to China.
Chinese company Beijing Kunlun Tech has been ordered by US officials to sell its majority stake in gay-dating app Grindr due to concerns that the Chinese government could exploit sensitive information about the app's users. The app includes messaging functions, photo and video functionality and optional HIV-status disclosure. The US believes this data could be obtained by the Chinese government and used to blackmail US individuals with security clearances, who could then be coerced into supplying information to China.