A Wisconsin pastor who lost his job for using Grindr has sued the gay dating app, alleging that his data was sold without his knowledge or consent.
Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, who served as the top administrator of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) until his resignation in 2021, claims Grindr failed to inform him that his data was being sold to vendors, allowing those outside the app to know of his presence on it.
Burrill’s trial, Washington PostHe said his data becoming public had caused “substantial damage” to his reputation, especially given his vow of celibacy as a priest and the Catholic Church’s longstanding stance against homosexual acts.
Burrill was forced to resign from his position after Christian news website The Pillar published a story revealing his visits to gay bars and use of dating apps, and that the website had tracked and verified his behavior using online data.
In his lawsuit, Burrill alleges that The Pillar obtained the data from Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal (CLCR), a Christian nonprofit that purchased data from queer dating apps to identify church leaders who were using them in violation of their vows, meaning that Grindr sold the data to the organization.
“We want answers so we can use this as a warning to other Grindr users,” said Burrill’s attorney, Gregory Helmer.
According to the lawsuit, the pastor said he would never have joined the app if he had known his data would become public.
“To have that decision taken out of your hands and put into the public arena is reprehensible,” James Carr, another attorney representing Burrill, told the Washington Post.
Burrill, who is still “trying to get back on his feet” after the “shame and embarrassment” he suffered as a result of the incident, according to his lawyer Helmer, sought $5 million in damages from Grindr in June.
After Grindr denied his request, Burrill filed a lawsuit on July 18, seeking damages and the implementation of policies to prevent user data from becoming publicly available without users’ knowledge.
Grindr told The Washington Post that it would “vigorously respond to these allegations, which are based on a mischaracterization of its practices related to user data,” and had previously denied making user data publicly available.
CLCR acknowledged having obtained data from Grindr in the past to expose clergy members, but claimed it did not provide any data to The Pillar.
Burrill’s removal was met with widespread criticism, with many condemning The Pillar’s use of the data as dangerously homophobic.
