Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2026
Norwegian Data Protection Authority fines Microsoft adtech subsidiary Xandr $9.6 million over Grindr user data
Fine or penalty
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (NDPA) fined Xandr, an adtech subsidiary of Microsoft, 92 million Norwegian kroner (around $9.6 million), alleging the company did not obtain "explicit consent" to use sensitive Grindr user data for advertising purposes and instead only assumed the dating app had already secured user approval. The NDPA said that when a person opened Grindr, their personal data was in many cases relayed through Xandr to potentially thousands of actors in the advertising ecosystem, and that the data infringements took place between July 2018 and April 2020; the fine, calculated from Xandr's total annual turnover, is the highest the Norwegian authority has issued to date. The case started in 2020 when Norway's consumer council filed a complaint against Xandr with the NDPA, and Xandr has three weeks to appeal the penalty.
Company response
Clarification — Microsoft
This investigation and decision focused on conduct that predates Microsoft's acquisition of Xandr, and in that time the interpretation and application of legal standards and practices has continued to evolve. We are reviewing the decision and assessing our options.
Source excerpt
Xandr allegedly didn't obtain "explicit consent" to use sensitive user data of those on Grindr for advertising purposes, instead only assuming that the dating app already secured user approval
Xandr has three weeks to appeal the record penalty.
The fine ends a more than six-year case, after Austrian nonprofit privacy rights organization Noyb filed the complaint against Xandr in January of 2020. The company, however, has three weeks to appeal.