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A scorned priest is suing Grindr after he says the company failed to protect his personal data, which resulted in him being outed by a Catholic watchdog group and having to step down from his cushy post at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill resigned from his position as the general secretary of the USCCB shortly after a story broke in July 2021 alleging he engaged in “possible improper behavior” on the popular gay hookup app.
The Pillar reported “commercially available records” from Grindr showed he visited numerous gay bars, private residences, and at least one bathhouse in cities around the country throughout 2018, 2019, and 2020.
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Ironically, he did all this while preaching about how homosexuality is a sin and how gay people are destined to spend eternity in hell, and blah, blah, blah.
Now, Burrill is suing Grindr, claiming the company “destroyed” his reputation by allowing his data to be sold to a third-party.
The suit, filed this week in the Superior Court of California, alleges the group Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal was able to purchase his personal information, which it then sent it to The Pillar, which then published it, which then led to him being forced out of the USCCB.
The priest, who has taken a vow of poverty, said he was “subjected to significant financial damages” and is demanding Grindr pay him damages, lawyer’s fees, and “injunctive relief.”
He’s also asking court to forbid the app “from committing such unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices.”
Now, here’s the thing: Grindr didn’t do anything illegal.
The app states very clearly in its privacy policy that it collects data and shares it with third-parties. And there’s no way around it either. By signing up for the app, a user is giving their consent to have their personal information shared.
Burrill, who has since returned to active ministry after engaging in a “sincere and prayerful effort to strengthen his priestly vows,” might not like that his personal information was sold to a third-party, but he maybe should’ve considered that before he signed up for a gay sex app after taking a vow of celibacy.
One of his responsibilities as general secretary of the USCCB was to help manage the church’s response to sex scandals and clerical cover-ups. Ironically, when it came to managing his own cover-up, Burrill forgot to read the fine print.
inbama
Grindr sends the personal info of customers to anti-g a y organizations?
That’s as low as it gets.
Everybody who has used it should sue.
v6origal97
Blaming the app for damaging his “reputation” is ridiculous: the height of irony.
CindyKennedy
Grindr sends the personal info of customers to anti-g a y organizations is ridiculous: the height of irony
inbama
Exactly.
That we may not be fond of the V a t i c a n, does not diminish what a betrayal this is to ALL users..
Jim
A gay priest who would’ve thought
Raphael
The most shocking thing for me is the “Catholic watchdog group”. What is that!?
Man About Town
Speaking of “the height of irony,” check out the hilarious error in the title of this piece.
Talk about your Freudian slips!
Vince
Is CindyKennedy your newest user name Inbama?
Vince
Jim, I’m only shocked when it doesn’t involve kids. Although, who knows in this guys case.
abfab
inbama shocks easily, right cindy?
still_onthemark
Raphael: The watchdog group barks and growls at any apostates who walk by.
Steve9999
Grindr sends the personal info of customers to anti-g a y organizations?
Oh dear man, try reading the article again and tell us where it said that? Getting your GED appears to have been a waste of time.
CaptainChaos
Inbama, the article neither says that, nor is that how this ever works. It always has said in the fine print of any of the online tools that you have chosen to sign up for that they have the right to sell your data. Data is not sold to specific organizations, it is sold to clearing houses, etc. Anyone then has the right to purchase data through the appropriate forums. This is how these things have worked in the United States and other areas of the world for decades. I invite you to learn how the world that you already have existed in for years works before you make an inane comment such as these in the future… you make the rest of the conservatives look ridiculous when you don’t even know how things are, and just bitch. Perhaps we should sue you!
Kangol2
Grindr apparently sells the data.
Sue and regulate.
barkomatic
I wonder how many hundreds of years it will take the Catholic Church to realize that vows of chastity and expressions of homophobia are harmful and increase the likelihood of scandals and abuse? One of the aims of a true spiritual movement is to not deny someone’s sexual orientation and recognize that physical intimacy is a human need (for most people). If you act against your nature you end up in a twisted and terrible place.