Catholic media publication The Pillar used location data from gay dating app Grindr to track the movements of a priest, then publicly outed him for “improper behavior.”
It wasn’t clear who had collected the information about Burrill. USCCB spokespeople declined to answer questions Tuesday about what it knew about the information-gathering and what its leadership feels about it, except to say the USCCB wasn’t involved. They also declined to comment on whether they knew if Burrill’s alleged actions were tracked on a private or church-owned phone.
This is a good example of how our data can be used against us, and not just by advertisers.
Check It Out: Catholic Publication Used Location Data Against a Priest
There’s a lot more to the story. Burrill (an avowed Trump supporter) was behind the call to ban Biden from communion because the president wasn’t strictly anti-abortion. Someone knew about Burrill’s hypocrisy, was able to find proof and provided us with a “let he who is without sin cast the first stone” moral lesson.
The Pegasus Project is a better example of how our data can be misused for nefarious purposes.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/series/pegasus-project