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A European privacy advocacy group has filed fresh complaints against TikTok, Grindr, and AppsFlyer, accusing the companies of violating European Union privacy laws by unlawfully tracking and sharing sensitive user data without consent. The complaints were submitted on Wednesday to Austria’s data protection authority by Vienna-based organization None of Your Business (noyb), a prominent watchdog known for enforcing the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
According to noyb, the case centers on the alleged tracking of a user’s activity across multiple mobile applications. The organization claims that TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, obtained information about a user’s activity on Grindr, the popular LGBTQ+ dating app, through AppsFlyer, a mobile marketing and analytics company. This data sharing allegedly occurred without a valid legal basis or the user’s informed consent, in breach of GDPR rules.
Noyb stated that the issue came to light after the user submitted a data access request, a right guaranteed under GDPR. The response reportedly revealed that TikTok had collected sensitive information, including details about the user’s use of Grindr, LinkedIn activity, and even products added to an online shopping cart. Noyb claims TikTok only disclosed this information after repeated inquiries, raising concerns about a lack of transparency and delayed compliance with GDPR obligations.
The advocacy group alleges that the data was used for purposes such as personalized advertising, analytics, and security. Under GDPR, data related to sexual orientation is classified as highly sensitive and is subject to stricter protections due to the potential risk of discrimination and harm if misused.
Noyb argues that neither Grindr nor AppsFlyer had legal grounds to transfer such data to TikTok and has called on Austrian regulators to investigate the matter, impose fines, and order the companies to stop these practices. Representatives from TikTok, Grindr, and AppsFlyer were not immediately available for comment.
The complaints come amid increased scrutiny of major tech platforms. Earlier this year, Ireland fined TikTok €530 million over concerns related to data transfers to China, while Grindr is facing a mass lawsuit in London over allegations that it shared users’ HIV status with third parties without consent between 2018 and 2020.
