In April 2018, the online dating company disclosed that they had provided users’ HIV status, GPS location data and email addresses to two companies ("our trusted vendors, Apptimize and Localytics") hired to test their application's technical performance.
Users could opt not to disclose their status and if they did so, that they had done so would be visible to other users viewing their profile. However, where users opted to disclose their status they would not typically have expected this information to be shared with non-users.
The company stressed that they had never sold users' personal information and had no reason to believe there had been a 'malicious hack'. However, having 'listened and engaged with our community' and in response to the public reaction, the company stopped sharing the HIV status of its users with third-party companies.
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