Lynch speculated that these countries could use the data to blackmail and recruit American government workers, or obtain “undue foreign influence” on US policy. He also imagined a scenario where hostile countries could use the data to profile everyday US citizens for the sake of future diplomatic and military battles.

Apple and Google haven’t commented so far.

There’s no clear evidence that companies like have sent sensitive info to less-than-friendly government agencies. TikTok owner ByteDance, for example, has maintained that its US operations are detached from those in China. However, that hasn’t satisfied critics concerned about China’s influence, such as TikTok temporarily pulling a video highlighting China’s mistreatment of Uighur Muslims. The US government went so far as to make Kunlun sell Grindr by June 2020 to eliminate any questions of security risks. Apple and Google won’t necessarily be forced to reveal foreign roots for mobile apps, but they’ll undoubtedly be under pressure to explain their roles in distributing those apps.

CFIUS ordered Beijing Kunlun to restrict access to the database in September, according to the insiders. The Grindr team complied and functionally separated Grindr, but by February its parent company had decided to close the Beijing office entirely over policy and privacy concerns. The effort was for nothing, though, as CFIUS reportedly asked Beijing Kunlun to sell off Grindr in March.

As for skipping the review process? The sources said that CFIUS reviews for submission were strictly optional, and Beijing Kunlun didn’t think the deal would pose a national security risk at the time.

The parent company hasn’t commented on the report so far, but a spokeswoman for Grind said that data privacy and security “is and always will be a top priority.”

The explanation still leaves Grindr with an uncertain fate, but it does shed light on just why the US was nervous. It also reflects the US government’s increasingly strict approach to Chinese companies — it doesn’t want even the slightest risk of China’s having access to private information.

The Chinese company purchased a majority stake in Grindr back in 2016, before snapping up the rest of the app a couple of years later. According to Reuters, Kunlun took over the company without submitting the acquisition to CFIUS — the agency in charge of assessing national security risks of overseas acquisitions — for review.

Although CFIUS didn’t elaborate on its concerns, one of the things it looks at is whether a particular purchase gives foreign entities access to sensitive details on US citizens, especially if they could involve US military or intelligence personnel. Kunlun has to sign over Grindr to a trustee if it fails to sell the app by June next year, but it has already started soliciting acquisition interest and offers.