Hacker News Reader

Comment by zxcvbn4038 | Hacker News Reader

They are sending all of their user's data with an "opt out" flag and leaving it to the ad companies to honor it? Slow clap?

It also caught my eye that their TOS didn't allow users a choice in data sharing, it was either agree or don't use the app. That might have some wide ramifications, I've encountered many web sites that won't let you past the sharing opt-in until you click agree - i.e. it is impossible to disagree. It is a completely foreign concept for US companies.

Wikipedia says Grindr is based in California, US. I wonder if they will pay the fine or refuse. If they have no assets in Norway I imagine it may be hard to collect from them.

View on HN

If they try that, I guess the Norwegian authorities will escalate through EU - either on the EU level, or by collaboration with larger national agencies such as in Germany. This is not a case isolated to Norway, and the agency seems to see it as such.

There is a Norwegian connection there though. Grindr and Opera (browser) is owned by the same Chinese entrepreneur.

Opera is still headquartered in Norway. Don't know if that helps, but there may be interesting corporate associations there.

Grindr’s Chinese owner has sold it to a US owner, forced by CFIUS (https://www.theverge.com/platform/amp/2020/3/6/21168079/grin...).

Ironically that site asks you to agree to tracking cookies, with no option to opt out

> If they have no assets in Norway I imagine it may be hard to collect from them.

I thought, but have never verified, that fines given as GDPR enforcement can be collected throughout the EU/EEA. If this is true, and if European courts uphold the fines when Grindr undoubtedly challenge them, then it's my understanding that the Norwegian DPA can have Grindr assets elsewhere in the EEA seized.

Does anyone know for sure?

A lawyer would know for sure

I think you underestimate how specialized law can be.

I have a relative who is a lawyer and legal attorney who would definitely not know this and when asked would answer that it is not his speciality and that he would have to do more research.

He's an attorney in employment law, and I asked him some things about criminal law and he did not know, and when pressed to make a guess, his guess was wrong.

It seems that law is quite complicated, and that lawyers have their specialities.

Yes and it seems like this would be an even more specialised area. if we don’t even know which lawyer to ask how can we even hope to follow the law meaningfully

Not a lawyer, but I believe this is true

If they are "established" somewhere in the EU, then all GDPR complaints get forwarded to the DPA for the country where they are established. This is called the "one-stop shop mechanism."

If the Norwegian DPA is the one handling this case, probably that's because Grindr's EU operations are legally established in Norway. If they don't have an "establishment" in the EU, then I think it's up-for-grabs, and my gut is that NOYB would have preferred to file in France or Germany.

This is why GDPR actions against Facebook, Google, etc. all go through the (under-resourced) Irish DPA: US companies are all based there for tax reasons. It's... becoming a problem.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com