2024-07-30 13:55:18
The not-so-good secret. In 2017, when he signed up for the LGBTQ dating app Grindr, Jeffrey Burrill, an American Catholic priest, had no idea that his account information might one day be leaked. This is without reading on the Catholic media The Pillar which revealed its presence a few years later, in 2021, forcing the diocese to request the resignation of the priest. Jeffrey Burrill is now prosecuting the materials, reports The Washington Post.
Because, according to the complaint, the Church man would not have downloaded Grindr if he had known that people outside the app could access his data. Especially since he is the head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), he is naturally celibate.
“Public access” data
He accused Grindr of not protecting his data and not informing him that third-party providers could buy it, causing him to lose his job and “significant” damage to his reputation. Burrill’s lawyers sought $5 million in damages from Grindr — which it denied — then filed a lawsuit on July 18.
Jeffrey Burrill’s lawsuit accuses Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal (CLCR), a Denver nonprofit that aims to “strengthen the Church to fulfill its mission,” of being behind the information leak and move to The Pillar.
An allegation denied by its CEO Jayd Henricks. He also admitted that he had bought “publicly accessible data” in a “simple” way, without anyone knowing more. The Catholic site, for its part, shows that it has received an independent agency to confirm the information, especially on the fact that the priest frequents gay services.
Security breaches?
Grindr responded in a statement to the Washington Post that “it intends to respond vigorously to these allegations, which are based on misinterpretations of user data practices.”
Jeffrey Burrill’s lawyer, Gregory Helmer, wants “answers” about revealing his personal information, so he can “warn other Grindr users.”
Chris Hoofnagle, associate director of the Center for Law and Technology at the University of California, Berkeley, points out that most people don’t read privacy policies and they “write vaguely” anyway.
“There is a sense of control when users enter personal information into applications,” the study said. The truth is that there are many security vulnerabilities, many of which are never reported. »
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