Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Report: Security Researchers Can Expose A Grindr User's Exact Location

Security researchers reported over the weekend that they are able to triangulate the exact location of users on Grindr, as well as three other mobile dating apps, all by just knowing a username. According to research posted by Pen Test Partners (PTP), it is able to spoof latitude and longitude of locations thorough the mobile apps of those phones, and calculate the exact location of a specific person using the app using triangulation. Triangulation--a common technique that is used by GPS, cell phones, and in other ways to determine a location--uses the distance and direction information to calculate the exact location--in this case, a user of Grindr or Romeo, Recon and 3fun. Grindr is based in Los Angeles. The ability to determine where a user could potentially be a big issue for users of Grindr, which offers its app up to the LGTBQ community, which in some countries could make people subject to arrest and persecution.

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