Grindr Settles £26m HIV Data Claim; California Brokers Resist DROP

Grindr to Pay £26 Million to 12,000 UK Users Over Alleged HIV Data Sharing

Grindr Inc. has agreed to pay £26 million to settle a UK group action brought by approximately 12,000 British users who alleged the dating app shared sensitive personal information, in some cases including HIV status, with advertising companies during a period ending in early 2020. The settlement, resolved in the High Court of England and Wales on September 2, 2026, includes no findings or admission of liability, with Grindr continuing to dispute the allegations while acknowledging the distress and loss of trust among some UK users regarding that pre-2020 period.

Grindr pays £26m to settle UK claim over alleged HIV data sharing →

California DROP Data Deletion Platform Faces Widespread Broker Resistance

New research from Stanford University reveals that fewer than 1 in 10 of the more than 600 data brokers registered with California’s DROP program have fully complied with transparency requirements of the California Consumer Privacy Act. The first-of-its-kind platform, launched January 1, enables residents to have their personal data deleted by brokers, with about 520,000 Californians having signed up. Researchers found that 43% of brokers forced consumers to resubmit the same form multiple times, and 21% required CAPTCHA puzzles, using friction and dark patterns that hinder data removal.

California wants to help delete your data, but brokers are already resisting →

LG Smart TVs Found Vulnerable to Covert Listening and Network Probing

Independent analysts including Gamers Nexus and Level1Techs found that LG smart TVs use Automated Content Recognition (ACR) technology that can be exploited to turn the sets into covert listening devices. The TVs can identify devices on local networks and collect device names and signal information, which combined with ACR data provides LG with a profile of viewing habits and device usage. Researchers demonstrated that a compromised TV could use its internal microphone to capture audio even when off, store the data when unplugged, and retrieve it once internet connection was restored.

LG smart TVs can listen to you even when they’re off, report says →

Proton VPN Sign-Ups Surge 450% in Vietnam as Stringent Cyberlaw Takes Effect

New sign-ups for Proton VPN in Vietnam spiked 450% above baseline on September 1, coinciding with new internet regulations that tighten online speech controls and impose data-logging obligations on ISPs and tech companies. The surge followed a 170% increase in July after fake news fines and another increase in August, when the government introduced severe financial penalties for sharing content deemed fabricated or false. David Peterson, General Manager at Proton VPN, said the combination of laws and fines compounds to send a message that ordinary online activity carries legal risk.

Proton VPN sign-ups soar in Vietnam as stringent new cyberlaw takes effect →

Channel 5 Gives Hunter Biden Subscriber Email List for Memecoin Promotion

Channel 5, the YouTube channel hosted by Andrew Callaghan, said it provided Hunter Biden with a CSV sheet of its email subscribers so he could promote his new memecoin. A data privacy expert told 404 Media the move is likely illegal in some jurisdictions under GDPR, as the simple sign-up process does not constitute consent for sharing data with third parties for direct marketing. Channel 5 posted statements on X saying Biden asked to use the mailing list whenever he launched a new product, but that emails from his team have not gone out to any public subscribers.

Channel 5 Gave Hunter Biden a List of Its Subscribers’ Emails for Some Reason →