So, here’s a wild story: Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, a big-shot priest who took a vow to stay celibate, is now in hot water because someone used his Grindr data to out him. Yep, that’s right, he’s suing Grindr for a boatload of cash because he says they didn’t keep his data private.
Burrill used to be a big cheese at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is known for being anti-LGBTQ+. In July 2021, a conservative site called The Pillar revealed that Burrill was not only on Grindr but also apparently had a secret life in gay bathhouses.
So, what happened? Burrill had to quit his job in disgrace, and now he’s asking Grindr for $5 million because he thinks the app didn’t keep his data safe. Grindr is refusing to pay so Burrill took his fight to court, claiming Grindr’s privacy practices were a total mess.
Grindr says Burrill’s claims are off-base and that they’re being misunderstood. Meanwhile, Burrill’s lawyer is fuming, saying it’s wrong to force someone’s secret life out into the public eye like that. Another lawyer wants answers so that other users can avoid a similar fate.
The story gets even crazier: The Pillar supposedly got Burrill’s data from a group called the Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal, which claims it’s all about fixing things in the church. But the president of that group denies sharing anything with The Pillar.
The Pillar says they got the data legally, even though it was anonymized, and tracked it to Burrill’s various hangouts using his GPS. They found his phone pinging from all sorts of places, including a Las Vegas gay bathhouse.
Burrill’s had a rough time since his outing and is still trying to bounce back. Meanwhile, Grindr’s former CEO promised to investigate how this all happened but only discussed a few potential ways The Pillar could have gotten the data. They didn’t think Grindr was at fault.
