Grindr, the app that introduced gay courtship rituals to smartphones, used to be known best for enabling hookups.

Its 2018 takeover by a Chinese firm, however, left the U.S. government worried that the change in ownership might allow America’s foreign adversaries to exploit the sometimes intimate details shared by 3.8 million active users a day, such as their sexual health, HIV status, and revealing photos, for geopolitical advantage.