Grindr Uses User Data for AI Training by Default
Users must manually disable data-sharing settings to prevent their profile information from being used in AI model training.
Updated on Oct. 24, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
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Grindr is utilizing user profile data, including photos and chat content, to train its generative artificial intelligence systems by default. While users can navigate to privacy settings to disable this data sharing, the opt-out only applies to future data collection.
Why it matters
The company intends to leverage this data to automate chat summaries and personalize match recommendations. This practice highlights ongoing tensions regarding how platforms classify and utilize sensitive user information for model training.
Grindr processes special-category data including sexual orientation, racial origin, and precise location to inform its gAI systems. This practice follows a £26 million settlement regarding prior data-sharing practices that occurred between May 2018 and April 2020.
The players
Grindr
A location-based dating application that utilizes user profile data and machine learning to facilitate social discovery.
The details
Grindr uses generative AI (gAI) to interpret user interactions by identifying patterns in chat content and profile metadata. The training process involves ingesting user-provided text, images, and preference signals to build predictive models for match recommendations and platform safety features. Users must manually switch off all data-sharing toggles within their privacy settings to prevent their information from being included in future training cycles.
Timeline
May 2018 to April 2020: Period of unauthorized data sharing with advertisers.
September 2026: Grindr settles privacy lawsuit for £26 million.
October 24, 2026: Details regarding current AI data practices published.
The Tech Race
Social platforms are increasingly racing to integrate generative AI to improve engagement through automated personalization and safety filtering. This strategy marks a departure from earlier data-handling models, testing how companies balance aggressive model training with emerging privacy regulations.
Users who wish to opt out of AI training must navigate to their application privacy settings and manually toggle all sharing features to the off position. This action only limits future data usage, meaning any data already ingested by the platform remains in the training pipeline.
The takeaway
The platform is moving toward automated AI personalization, placing the burden on users to actively manage their data privacy settings. Watch for further regulatory scrutiny regarding whether default data-sharing for AI training complies with shifting international privacy standards.
Further reading
For broader trends in model development and user data privacy, visit the Artificial Intelligence section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Metro Weekly.
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