Grindr’s Chinese owner Beijing Kunlun Tech must sell gay dating app by 2020 over US national security fears
- Firm reaches agreement with US agency prohibiting it from accessing information about Grindr users and requiring sale of app before June 30 next year
- Grindr also will not be able to transmit any sensitive information to entities based in China
The Chinese owner of Grindr is required to sell the popular gay dating app by June 2020 under an agreement with US officials who raised national security concerns about the app’s ownership.
Beijing Kunlun Tech Co said in a statement on Monday that it reached an agreement on Thursday that prohibits it from accessing information about Grindr’s users and requires the sale of the app before June 30, 2020. Grindr also will not be able to transmit any sensitive information to any entities based in China.
The national security agreement was reached with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), which vets overseas acquisitions of American businesses for risks to national security. Among the risks the panel considers is whether a deal gives foreigners access to sensitive information about US citizens.
Kunlun completed its acquisition of Grindr in January 2018 and said on April 1 that it was in talks with CFIUS about the app. If Kunlun does not manage to sell Grindr by the June 2020 date, it would sign the app over to a trustee, under terms of the agreement.
Founded in 2008, Kunlun specialised in publishing browser-based video games, including popular role-playing titles Eden Eternal and Glory Destiny Online. It is also the China distributor for Clash of the Clans, a hit mobile game created by Finnish developer Supercell, which was acquired by internet giant Tencent Holdings in 2016.