Conservative Catholic Groups Invest in Tech to Out Gay Priests on Dating Apps

A group of conservative Catholics based in Colorado spent millions to buy tracking data from dating apps to identify gay priests, and then shared the information with regional Bishops.

The Washington Post, which broke the story, noted that the purchasing and use of the data is legal, and is “emblematic of a new surveillance frontier in which private individuals can potentially track other Americans’ locations and activities using commercially available information.”

The Post heard audio recordings of executive members discussing the organization’s mission and this particular project. Jayd Henricks, the group’s president, did not respond to questions from the Post, but instead posted an article on the website First Things saying he was proud to be part of the group, and that the purpose was to “help the Church be holy…” He also wrote that the group has conducted other research, but did not provide details.

The organization seems to have ties to the 2021 outing of prominent priest Monsignor Jeffrey Burrill, who resigned from his post at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops after Catholic news website The Pillar claimed to have mobile tracking data showing he was a regular user of Grindr. However, The Pillar did not reveal the source of this tracking data.

Journalists were able to see two reports prepared for bishops that came from the organization, and the data they referenced included mobile tracking data between 2018 and 2021 from dating app Grindr, as well as Scruff, Growlr, and Jack’d, which are primarily used by gay men. The group also sourced data from OkCupid, whose users have a range of sexual preferences. The Post’s sources said the organization’s focus was monitoring and targeting gay priests.

The purchase of tracking data is broadly unregulated, which could mean the targeting of certain people or groups could continue. Domestic abusers have accessed data about their victims, according to the article, and antiabortion activists have used data to target people who visit clinics.

Law enforcement departments have also bought data on citizens as well instead of seeking a warrant, which could take months to obtain.

This story comes at a time when several laws are being passed at the state level that are anti-LGBGTQ, such as Florida’s “don’t say gay” bill, infringing on transgender people’s rights, and banning books, including children’s books, that more religious and conservative activists deem “too political.”

According to the Post, Henricks wrote in First Things that he shared this information with “a handful of rectors and bishops” and not publicly, so as to be able to “have honest and frank conversations with Church leaders, and protect the privacy of those affected.”

Critics argue that this has put pressure on the bishops to take action against the targeted priests, and potentially expose any group or person to the same type of targeting.