A 15-year old teen is pointing the finger at social networking iPhone app Grindr for being assaulted by a 54-year-old man.
The incident happened in Vancouver, where Brent Tynan is being charged with sexual interference, invitation to sexual touching and sexual assault following an incident that took place last August. Tynan, who was arrested April 13, is expected back in court today.
Tynan met the teen through free app Grindr, which uses GPS in order to connect users to nearby gay and bisexual men.
The case has more than a few interesting wrinkles, including Grindr’s restriction that users must be at least 17 to download the “game,” as it’s described on iTunes.
The object of this game? According to the description:
“Find gay, bi, or curious guys on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with Grindr. Fast, fun, and free, it’s the place for gay, bi, or curious men to hang out with the same sex. Grindr is the largest all male location based network in the world. Over 600,000 men globally are part of the Grindr Network, with 2,000 new guys joining every day.”
Police are asking parents to keep a closer eye on their kids. Sex Crimes Unit Sgt. Jeanette Theisen told the Vancouver Observer, “Advances in technology and social networking make it easier for our children to come into contact with individuals who may try to harm them or take advantage of them.”
