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Staying safe on Grindr: How to protect your privacy
Grindr's Chinese owner says to sell social media app for $608 million
EXCLUSIVE-Grindr's Chinese owner nears deal to sell gay dating app-sources
Twenty questions for Grindr creator Joel Simkhai

Xtra: How did you come up with the idea for Grindr? I always look: who are the guys in my building, in my block, right around me? The second generation iPhone comes in with GPS and the app store and the ability to write native applications, and then it just became a race to get the app out as quickly as possible. We spend a lot of our time and resources to scale to the two million users that we have. Xtra: Can you explain what the name and logo are about? Simkhai: The word Grindr comes from a coffee grinder.

Staying safe on Grindr: How to protect your privacy

The move comes after a U. One of the investors in the group that is nearing a deal to acquire Grindr is James Lu, a former executive at Chinese search engine giant Baidu, three of the sources said. The identity of the other investors in the consortium could not immediately be learned.

The sources cautioned that there is no certainty a deal will be struck and requested anonymity ahead of an official announcement. Grindr declined to comment, while Kunlun and Lu did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Based in West Hollywood, California, Grindr has over 4. Kunlun said in a filing with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in January that Grindr's revenue hit a record high in , as its number of active users continued to grow. It did not disclose the revenue figure in the filing.

At the time CFIUS focused on traditional national security concerns, such as the use of technology for potential military applications.

It bought the remainder of Grindr in CFIUS' intervention in the Grindr deal underscored its focus on the safety of personal data, after it blocked the acquisitions of U. Reuters reported last year that Kunlun shifted a significant portion of Grindr's operations to Beijing and gave some of its Beijing-based engineers access to the social media app's database. Kunlun also shut down Grindr's Beijing office, parting ways with some of the roughly two dozen employees there, Reuters reported.

Lu, who also worked for Amazon. In the last few months, he had contacted family offices to seek financing for the acquisition of Grindr, according to three of the sources. Kunlun is one of China's largest mobile gaming companies. Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox.

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Grindr is the world's #1 FREE mobile social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people to connect. Chat and meet up with interesting people for free. Grindr is a geosocial networking and online dating application geared towards gay, bi and Grindr Logo rainbowconnections.co.nz Grindr was one of the first gay geosocial apps to launch in the iTunes App Store and has since become the largest and most.

March 6 Reuters - Chinese gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech Co Ltd is close to signing an agreement to sell popular gay dating app Grindr LLC to a group of investors, according to people familiar with the matter. The move comes after a U. One of the investors in the group that is nearing a deal to acquire Grindr is James Lu, a former executive at Chinese search engine giant Baidu, three of the sources said. The identity of the other investors in the consortium could not immediately be learned. The sources cautioned that there is no certainty a deal will be struck and requested anonymity ahead of an official announcement.

With millions of users worldwide, Grindr is one of the most popular dating apps for gay and bisexual men.

The deal comes after a U. However, the United States has been increasingly scrutinizing app developers over the safety of personal data they handle, especially if some of it involves U. Reuters reported earlier on Friday that Kunlun was close to signing a sales deal, citing people familiar with the matter.

EXCLUSIVE-Grindr's Chinese owner nears deal to sell gay dating app-sources

Chat and meet up with interesting people for free, or upgrade to Grindr XTRA or Grindr Unlimited for more features, more fun, and more chances to connect. Looking for even more? Want the ultimate Grindr experience? Grindr Subscriptions: Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your iTunes account will automatically be charged at the same price for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period unless you change your subscription preferences in your App Store account settings. You can manage your subscriptions at any time through your App Store account settings after purchase.

Twenty questions for Grindr creator Joel Simkhai

Grindr comes in both free and subscription-based versions the latter called Grindr Xtra. The app makes use of a mobile device's geolocation , a feature of smartphones and other devices, which allows users to locate other users who are nearby. This is accomplished through a user interface that displays a grid of representative photos of men, arranged from nearest to furthest away. Tapping on a picture will display a brief profile for that user, as well as the option to chat, send pictures, and share one's precise location. Grindr was one of the first gay geosocial apps to launch in the iTunes App Store and has since become the largest and most popular gay mobile app in the world. It is currently available in countries. For its first anniversary on March 25, , Grindr released the app for BlackBerry devices. On March 7, , Grindr launched the app for Android devices. On June 18, , Grindr announced that it had officially hit 4 million registered users in countries across the globe. In August , Grindr released an updated version of the app requiring users to verify their accounts by providing a valid email address.