Xandr Fined a Record €8.6 Million for Relaying Grindr Data Revealing Sexual Orientation
Oct 13, 2026
Data Privacy / Compliance
The Norwegian Data Protection Authority (DPA) has fined Xandr, an advertising unit owned by Microsoft, €8.6 million ($9.62 million) for illegally relaying Grindr users' sensitive data to advertisers. The administrative penalty is the largest issued by the data protection watchdog, arguing the case merited a high fine because of the "very serious" nature of the breach. The infringements occurred between July 2018 and April 2020. "Xandr acted as an intermediary that relayed the personal data of Grindr users in Norway, including data revealing sexual orientation, to potentially thousands of other companies," the Data Protection Authority said in a statement. The data protection authority said its investigation found that Xandr was a joint controller with Grindr, which meant it was responsible for obtaining users' consent before processing their data. Instead of ensuring they had the legal basis for their own processing of the data, Xandr pointed fing...
