The deal immediately caused concern among national security experts and privacy advocates, who worried that China could harvest potentially embarrassing or sensitive private data from the app for espionage purposes.
But then something happened that increased the concern employees had about the company’s commitment to data security: Chen proposed a partnership with a team of HIV researchers with connections to the Chinese government., an HIV researcher for China’s equivalent of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was interested in working with Grindr.
Dr. Susan Little, an HIV researcher and a professor in residence at the University of California, San Diego, accompanied Shao to Grindr headquarters on Aug. 6, 2018, for a meeting about a research proposal — one Grindr had previously ignored. Little had pitched Grindr on using “de-identified” user data to recruit study participants and provide sexual health education information through the app.
“Grindr and the Grindr for Equality team periodically engage in discussions with highly respected national and international health organizations and researchers, including to help stem the spread of the deadly HIV epidemic,” the company said in an email. “Regardless of emails you may have regarding a very preliminary internal discussion, Grindr has never engaged any intern associated in any way with the Chinese government.
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