After the effective disbanding of its editorial team, Grindr’s online magazine, Into has lost millions of visitors.
Into was the world’s most read LGBT+ news site, topping over 7,500,000 hits per month according to SimilarWeb, however after it was announced that the site’s editorial team had been let go, the site has lost over 7,000,000 monthly visitors.
In the month before the effective closure of the editorial team, IntoMore.com recieved over 7.3 million hits, in April 2019 that had fallen to 360,000 hits.
It is now one of the smallest players in the American LGBT+ news market.
Grindr‘s digital magazine, Into, which was launched in 2017, the Chinese-owned dating app company says it was looking to focus on other areas, including “video”.
According to reports, Stephen Port had been having sex with Britain’s most notorious convicted paedophile.
Stephen Port and Richard Huckle, who has been dubbed Britain’s “worst paedophile” allegedly had a sexual relationship while they were both in prison together according to the Mirror Online.
According to the report, Port and Huckle struck up a relationship while both at MHP Belmarsh in London. The pair shared the prison with 90 other inmates and apparently, there are only three guards to keep tabs on all the prisoners.
The two have now been separated, but their relationship was an “open secret” according to the paper.
The relationship allegedly happened while Port was waiting to be sentenced for the raping and murdering of four men.
In 2016 Port was imprisoned for life for the murders of Anthony Patrick Walgate, 23, Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21 and Jack Taylor, 25. Their bodies were dumped in or near a graveyard in Barking. The graveyard was 500 meters away from his flat in east London.
The 44-year-old was also found guilty of 10 offences of administering a substance with intent, four rapes and four sexual assaults.
“Open secret”
A source at HMP Belmarsh told Mirror Online, “It’s an open secret the two of them had sex, everyone knows about it.
“They were both in the max area of the prison but when the cells door are open those in that area can mix.
“You have 90 inmates being overseen by three guards, they can’t see everything going on in every cell.
“It happened when they were both here before Port was sentenced, their paths crossed.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US ruled that the treasure trove of data held by Grindr would be a concern for the national security of the United States and is effectively forcing the sale of the company back to a US company. The ruling from the Committee on Foreign Investment also ordered that the firm cannot share any data harvested from the app.
If no buyer is found the company will be forced to give over the app to a trustee.
Scott Chen, wrote, in a deleted (but later reinstated) social media message that it was his belief that marriage should be between and man and a woman.
He said, “There are people who believe that marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman. I agree but that’s none of our business. There are also people who believe that the purpose of marriage is to create children that carry their DNA. That’s also none of our business. There are people that are simply different from you, who desperately want to get married. They have their own reasons.”
Earlier this year Grindr closed its online magazine, Into, which at the time was the world’s most read LGBT+ media brand. It went, according to SimliarWeb, from over 7.5 million unique readers in December 2018 to just over 300,000 last month.
Officers have been investigating three separate attempted carjacking incidents that occurred after the victims engaged with a man they had met on the online dating app Grindr.
At around 7pm on Monday 25 March 2019, a man in his 50s was threatened in his own home in Irlam o’ th’ Height by a man armed with a knife who demanded he hand over his car keys.
Around an hour later on Bury Old Road in Prestwich, a man in his 40s was held at knifepoint by a man who again demanded his car keys.
The victim suffered several cuts to his throat, back and forearm and was taken to hospital for treatment. He has since been released and is recovering at home.
The alleged attacker, who was a passenger in the car during the assault, stabbed the man several times after demanding he hand over his car keys.
The man was taken to hospital with serious injuries and remains in a stable condition.
A 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and two section 18 assaults. He remains in custody for questioning.
Man will be questioned by detectives
Chief Inspector Amanda Delamore, of GMP’s Salford district, said, “We now have a man in custody who will be questioned by my team in the coming hours as our enquiries continue.
“Our thoughts remain with the three victims who have all been left incredibly shaken by their ordeals and officers will continue to provide them with support at this distressing time.
“Our investigation does not stop here and I would continue to urge anyone with any information that could assist us to please get in touch with police.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 5194 or 101 quoting reference number 1764 of 26/03/2019.
Reports can also be made anonymously, via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
As well as appealing for potential witnesses, officers are directly appealing to users of the Grindr app who may have encountered the man pictured, or fallen victim to someone they met on the application.
The first victim, a man in his 50s, was threatened in his own home in Irlam o’ th’ Height shortly before 7pm om Monday 25 March 2019 by a man with a knife who demanded that he hand over his car keys. The offender failed to start the car and fled the scene.
An hour later in Prestwich, a man in his 40s had a knife held to his throat by an offender on Bury Old Road who demanded the victim’s car keys.
The man received small cuts to his throat, back and forearm and was taken to hospital for treatment, where he remains in a stable condition.
The third man, aged in his 20s, was attacked at around 5.45pm on Tuesday 26 March 2019.
He was threatened by a man who was a passenger in his car on Bolton Road, Pendlebury as they were parked on the roadside. He demanded he hand over his car keys before stabbing him several times.
The attacker then fled the scene on foot in the direction of Birch Drive towards High Bank Road.
The victim remains in hospital with serious injuries that are not believed to be life threatening.
Chief Inspector Amanda Delamore of GMP’s Salford Division said, “We believe that the same person is responsible for these premediated acts of violence.
“The injuries inflicted upon these men became progressively more violent with each attack and it’s imperative that anyone with information on these crimes contact us immediately.
“As well as appealing for witnesses, I’d like to appeal to anyone who uses Grindr and recognises the man in the image we’ve released to get in touch as a matter of urgency.
“Like other forms of online communication; dating applications carry risks.
“We’d urge people to be cautious when agreeing to meet strangers they have been speaking to online.
“Always meet someone new in a public place first, let someone know where you’re going and never give out personal information to someone you’ve just met.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 8172 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Apparently, the BBC is planning a TV show about the brutal murders by convicted serial killer Stephen Port.
Filming for a documentary drama, called The Barking Murders surrounding the killer Stephen Port, who brutally raped and murdered four men between June 2014 and September 2015 is due to begin in the spring. Dubbed in the press as the Grindr Killer, Port used dating apps and websites to lure his victims. In 2016 the 41-year-old was also found guilty of 10 offences of administering a substance with intent, four rapes and four sexual assaults.
According to the BBC, the award-winning team behind The Moorside and Appropriate Adult, the new factual drama will go beneath the headlines to shed new light on this story by telling it from the point of view of the families of Stephen Port’s victims, focusing on their fight to uncover the truth about what had happened to their lost sons and brothers in the face of a now widely-criticised police investigation.
Port was found guilty of the murders of Anthony Patrick Walgate, 23, Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21 and Jack Taylor, 25. Their bodies were dumped in or near a graveyard in Barking. The graveyard was 500 meters away from his flat in east London.
The new film has Stephen Merchant in the role of Port.
“This story can’t be ignored”
On joining the cast, Stephen Merchant said, “This is a story that can’t be ignored – how four young lives were lost and their families’ brave attempt to uncover what happened. This factual drama will shed light on their story, so it’s a privilege to be a part of telling it with the brilliant combination of Jeff Pope, Neil McKay and the BBC.”
He’ll be joined by Sheridan Smith who added, “‘I love playing real-life characters – especially an inspirational woman like Sarah Sak (the mother of Anthony Walgate) – but with it comes responsibility. Along with the other families, Sarah went through so much heartache and it would have been easy for her to just accept what she was being told by the police, but something inside made her keep fighting for her son.”
With the announcement of Facebook’s new sexual content policy, we look at other internet platforms that have banned adult content.
It was revealed last month that Facebook’s new sexual solicitation policy was hitting right at the heart of sexual interactions between people. Many critics believe that the move will hurt the LGBT+ community the most with the shocking revelation that people will no longer be able to discuss their preferred sexual roles, such as whether they are tops or bottoms. [expander_maker]
But Facebook isn’t the first.
Scruff, the gay dating app has had to ban various photos from being shown as profile pictures, including any pictures of guys in jockstraps, pictures with pubic hair on show or pictures which are sexual in nature.
Grindr, also operates a similar photo policy.
Instagram Users have long blasted the service for deleting their content. In 2018 gay pin-up magazine Meat‘s account was deleted twice, various celebs have hit out saying that the Facebook-owned entity had banned or blocked content.
Tumblr Earlier in December blogging site, Tumblr announced that it was going to remove all adult content. It is believed that Apple forced the company to make the policy when it temporarily kicked the blogging site from its app store.
Craigslist shut down its personals listings, 2018 after US Congress passed a Sex Trafficking Bill. The personals had run since 1995. The Bill could subject websites found to be unknowingly hosting ads for sex trafficking to criminal and civil liabilities. As a result, Craigslist made the decision to remove all the personals from its site, saying, “Any tool or service can be misused. We can’t take such risk without jeopardizing all our other services, so we are regretfully taking craigslist personals offline”.
Google Drive Sex workers have allegedly seen files deleted or removed from their Google Drives. Numerous adult performers and sex workers have found that content hosted on Google Drive was no longer accessible. The service does have a policy which bans the hosting of “sexually explicit or pornographic images or videos”.
Patreon, a payment collection site for content creators starting banning adult performers because its payment partners, Stripe and PayPal were refusing service.
Reddit has banned all sex-work groups and in 2007 LiveJournal made headlines after removing a picture of a mother breastfeeding saying it went against their content policy.
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Grindr‘s digital magazine, Into, which was launched in 2017, has been effectively shuttered with all its editorial staff, contributors and social media workers laid off as the Chinese-owned dating app company looks to focus on other areas, including “video”.
He announced the layoffs in an email, which Out have published.
He wrote,
“Team,
As with any growing business, we have to continually evaluate what is best for Grindr. After a thoughtful and collaborative process, we decided to modify INTO’s content mix to rely more heavily on video. This decision was driven by the high user engagement and development we see through channels such as video and YouTube.
This was a difficult decision, but with this new strategic focus, several INTO employees will be leaving the company. Our leadership is proud of the work INTO has done and know that it has served an important role in our business and overall mission.
We want to thank our INTO colleagues for their contributions to Grindr and wish them well. In the meantime, we ask that we all stay focused on fulfilling our important mission together and serving the LGBTQ+ community.
In the coming weeks, we will be sharing our 2019 goals and beginning the process to redefine our mission,vision, and values as an organization.
Best,
Scott”
According to available stats from SimilarWeb, IntoMore.com receives over 7.5 million unique readers a month, bigger than all of its main competitors.
Into‘s staff replied with a statement, which read,
“During our nearly two years, we created incredible, award-winning content for and about the LGBTQ community worldwide,
“We have been awarded with a GLAAD nomination and honored by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA); we were also given a special award from the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF). We told stories of transgender prisoners forced to endure nightmarish treatment behind bars, LGBTQ asylum seekers looking for hope and refuge in the United States, and drag queens fighting for space and community in small town Tennessee.
“We shared the hopes and joys of the LGBTQ community, our successes and setbacks, and our triumphs and heartaches during a vulnerable political moment. We aimed to give a voice to those who need one now more than ever, a platform for them to see themselves represented wholly.”
Following on a statement in which Grindr’s CEO said he believed that marriage should be between a man and woman, the straight, cis-gender, married man released a statement.
CREDIT: Ryazan / BIGSTOCK
Scott Chen, who is married to a woman, wrote, in a deleted (but later reinstated) social media message that it was his belief that marriage should be between and man and a woman.
The story, interestingly was first reported by the Grindr-owned digital magazine, IntoMore, who have received a new statement from Chen, which said,
“On November 26, I wrote a post on my personal Facebook account meant to condemn those advocating against same-sex marriage in Taiwan. The words I chose related to marriage between a man and a woman were meant to express my personal feelings about my own marriage to my wife – not to suggest that I am opposed to marriage equality.
I want to make clear that I am an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and have been since I was young. I support gay marriage and I am proud that I can work for Grindr. I apologize that my words did not clearly convey these feelings.
I am very proud of the work INTO does and stand by them as an important part of our business.
One of our greatest strengths at Grindr is our diverse team and our respect for one another. Together, we will continue the important work we do fighting for LGBTQ+ equality.”
No longer under gay ownership
Despite its gay beginnings, the Grindr app was snapped up by a Chinese gaming app in January 2018.
By this point, you either LOVE or HATE the world’s biggest gay dating app, but if you’re looking for a reason to delete it, this latest controversy might be the one to push you!
CREDIT: Ryazan / BIGSTOCK
The Chinese owned app Grindr is apparently headed by a cis-gender, straight man who is facing a backlash after saying that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.
Despite its gay beginnings, the Grindr app was snapped up by a Chinese gaming app in January 2018. The firm that owns the app put a straight, cis-gendered man, Scott Chen as the CEO.
Scott Chen, who is married to a woman, wrote, in a deleted (but later reinstated) social media message that it was his belief that marriage should be between and man and a woman.
He said, “There are people who believe that marriage is a holy matrimony between a man and a woman. I agree but that’s none of our business. There are also people who believe that the purpose of marriage is to create children that carry their DNA. That’s also none of our business. There are people that are simply different from you, who desperately want to get married. They have their own reasons.”
Then seemingly the CEO remembered who he worked for, went on to say that he wished people wouldn’t donate to anti-LGBTQ causes.
Scott Chen was reportedly speaking about Cher Wang the president and CEO of HTC, who according to claims by IntoMore has anti-LGBT+ non-profit organisations organising to influence Taiwan’s referendum on same-sex marriage”.
“huge advocate for LGBTQ+ rights”
Scott Chen’s post was deleted, but reinstated after IntoMore broke their story. Chen then wrote that he was “huge advocate for LGBTQ+ rights” since he was young. He also wrote, “I support gay marriage and I am proud that I can work for Grindr.”
What about Ageism, HIV stigma and effeminism, users ask…
CREDIT: Ryazan / BIGSTOCK
Banning racism is on the agenda at Grindr and many of the gay hook up apps, but users are keen to point out that Grindr is failing on other discriminatory language including ageism, HIV stigma and anti-effeminate sentiments.
Recently Grindr announced a new policy, dubbed Kindr, which looks to rid the platform of all types of discrimination, however, users point out that aside from racism there is a whole heap of discrimination that goes seemingly unchecked via people’s profiles.
Grindr says it will now moderate language on users’ profiles, saying they’d rather “hear about what you’re into, not what you aren’t”. Some, however, are concerned that the announcement seemingly only touches on racism. However, the editor of Into, Grindr’s online magazine, has said that the new policy will take into consideration any discriminatory language.
Zach Stafford said, “So, I am seeing some confusion around #Kindr and wanted to clear one big thing up: Discriminatory language like ‘no fats, no femmes, no Asians’ is officially considered discriminatory and will now be banned on Grindr”.
Hi hi,
So, I am seeing some confusion around #Kindr and wanted to clear one big thing up:
Discriminatory language like ‘no fats, no femmes, no Asians’ is officially considered discriminatory and will now be banned on Grindr.
