A new use for dating apps: Chasing STIs

Key Facts

Because many people are meeting sex partners online — via sites like Grindr or Snapchat, which are headquartered in West Hollywood and Santa Monica, California, respectively — contact tracers often don't have much information to go on, just a screen name or a picture.
So, about a year ago, Meador and her colleagues got approval from their bosses at the local level to build profiles on the app, through which they can contact the sex partners of infected people.
Parker and the Linn County officials said public service announcements on dating apps — advocating for condom use or sharing the business hours for sexual health clinics — do seem to lead people to services.
(When asked about public health officials who join the site on their own, company spokesperson Patrick Lenihan said: "Individuals are free to say something like 'I'm a public health professional — ask me about my work!' in their profile and are free to discuss sexual and public health matters however they see fit.") Grindr's position — however disappointing to some in the public health world — reflects a longtime balancing act attempted by the private sector, which aims to square government concerns with users' privacy interests.