Grindr announces extra safety measures for LGBTQ+ athletes at Winter Olympics
Grindr is introducing temporary measures to protect LGBTQ+ athletes at the Winter Olympics (Grindr | Maja Hitij/Getty Images)
In a post to its company blog on Monday (2 February), Grindr announced it would be putting certain safeguards and restrictions in place on its app to protect competitors in the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, citing safety risks for athletes who aren’t out or who come from countries that are hostile towards LGBTQ+ people.
The event is set to make history with at least 41 out LGBTQ+ athletes representing 13 countries across nine events.
“Grindr shows users who’s nearby and how far away they are. In most contexts, that’s useful.
“In the Olympic Village where thousands of athletes are packed into a small area, those same features may become a liability.
“Someone outside the Village could browse profiles inside it. Distance data could be used to pinpoint someone’s exact location. And simply appearing on Grindr tells the world something about a person’s identity that, in more than 60 countries, remains a criminal offence,” the Grindr team wrote.
Major alterations for the games include disabling of the ‘Explore and Roam’ feature within the Olympic Village boundaries, meaning those outside the Village will not be able to browse or message users inside.
‘Show Distance’ which displays how far away other users are, will be automatically turned off for those in the Village.
Grindr will also be offering free privacy tools for athletes in the Olympic Village, such as disappearing messages, an ‘unsend’ feature, and screenshot blocking.
The upcoming international multi-sporting event is set to commence on Friday (6 February).
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