Re: Police Are Using Grindr to Track and Arrest Gays

[Jute]

In article <698a78c2-c809-4483-a474-
fe36cb...@googlegroups.com>
wy <w...@myself.com> wrote:
>
> There's some sort of

The makers of gay dating app Grindr announced on Friday that a
setting allowing users to show the distance between one another
had been disabled in several countries with anti-gay
legislation. This news comes on the heels of evidence that
Egyptian authorities were using it to locate and arrest
homosexuals.

The proximity feature of the app allows users to detect other
users� location to within approximately 100 feet. As
demonstrated by a reporter from America Blog, even those who
don�t have a profile on the app�such as law enforcement
agencies�can use the feature to home in on homosexuals,
potentially to arrest them.

Grindr previously said it didn�t consider the location detection
a security breach. On Friday, however, the company changed its
tone. �In response to recent security allegations surrounding
location data, Grindr is taking proactive measures to keep users
safe in territories with a history of violence against the gay
community,� it said. �This change means that any user within
these countries will not show distance on their profile (e.g. 1
mile away). Your location will not be able to be determined via
trilateration or any other method, keeping your position private
and secure.�

http://www.vocativ.com/culture/lgbt/grindr-egypt/

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