Grindr Gay Dating App Location Services, Turned Off Inside Olympic Village

In a move to safeguard athletes' privacy and security, Grindr, a popular gay dating app, has turned off its location-based features in the Olympic Village during the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

This decision follows reports from users who noticed they were unable to utilize the app’s “explore” function to find other profiles in the area. Grindr confirmed this adjustment in a blog post, emphasizing the necessity to protect athletes, especially those from countries where being LGBTQ+ is dangerous or illegal.

“If an athlete is not out or comes from a country where being LGBTQ+ is dangerous or illegal, using Grindr can put them at risk of being outed by curious individuals who may try to identify and expose them on the app,” the post read.

Enhanced Privacy Measures

To enhance privacy, Grindr has turned off its “explore” and “roam” features within the Olympic Village. The app has also disabled the “show distance” feature by default, though users can choose to share an approximate distance if they prefer. Additionally, Grindr has disabled private videos and screenshots for profile images and in-chat media, and activated unlimited disappearing messages, among other privacy features.

These measures are not unprecedented; Grindr imposed similar restrictions during the 2022 Beijing Olympics, reflecting the app's ongoing commitment to user safety in high-profile and potentially risky environments.

Historical Context of Privacy Breaches

The issue of privacy for LGBTQ+ athletes has been a concern for several years. In previous Games, there have been instances where individuals attempted to expose athletes who were not officially out by scrutinizing details such as heights, weights, and locations on dating apps. Jérémy Goupille, co-chair of the Olympic queer community hub Pride House, highlighted the importance of these protective measures.

"You have to protect them because so many bad people exist. At the same time, there are so many beautiful athletes," Goupille said. "They want to meet someone and it's difficult."

This sentiment is underscored by past incidents, such as in 2016 when The Daily Beast published an article in which a heterosexual reporter used Grindr during the Rio Olympics and shared information about athletes he matched with. The article received significant backlash, leading to its removal and an apology from the publication for compromising the privacy of the athletes involved.

Growing Visibility of LGBTQ+ Athletes

Despite these challenges, the visibility of LGBTQ+ athletes has significantly increased over the years. The Paris Olympics have set a new record with 193 openly 2SLGBTQ+ athletes competing, surpassing the 186 athletes at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, according to Outsports, a website that compiles a database of openly queer Olympians. This marks a substantial increase from the Sydney Olympics in 2000, where only around five openly 2SLGBTQ+ athletes were identified by Outsports.

Outsports co-founder Jim Buzinski reflected on this progress, noting the growing acceptance and support for LGBTQ+ athletes in the sports community. This increasing visibility not only fosters a more inclusive environment but also highlights the importance of ensuring their privacy and safety.

(Source)