A former senior Catholic official has sued a dating app after claiming the unauthorized selling of his data outed him and forced him to resign.
Already holding the post of general secretary of the USCCB, Msgr. Burrill found himself at the center of a scandal when the Catholic publication The Pillar published a story claiming that he used Grindr and visited bars between 2018 and 2020. The Pillar’s reporting involved the analysis and correlation of Grindr app data signals to determine when Burrill was at the locations in question. This was followed by Burrill’s resignation and has set off a broader debate about privacy and the security of people’s data.
Wisconsin Catholic priest fired for using the gay dating app “Grindr” is now suing the dating app for allegedly selling data. PIC.TWITTER.COM/KITP2IDVFD
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) JULY 29, 2024
The methods by which this data was obtained and analysed have come under fierce scrutiny. Notably, the report by The Pillar was based on location data; hence, it had wide loser privacy concerns. On its part, Grindr has refuted claims of improper collection and use of data, stating the activities in the report were technically impossible and lacked evidence.
Some experts have argued that this data selling to third parties could have been done by a seller an extremely common practice among many apps but it has only further fueled the controversy.
After his resignation, Monsignor Burrill was reassigned to a parish in Wisconsin following some time off. It has evoked a number of reactions to the implication this might have about privacy and surveillance in the Church, as well as the role of journalism reporting such highly sensitive matters. The present lawsuit of Monsignor Burrill against Grindr rested on the basis of allegations that it was the selling of his data by the app in question that doled out his identity and compelled him to resign. Stemming from this, a lawsuit would draw onto light a much larger and prevailing argument about user privacy, data security, and the responsibilities app providers bear for protecting sensitive information.
