NEW YORK (AP) — The gay dating app Grindr has acknowledged sharing its users' HIV status with two companies.

Grindr says Localytics and Apptimize were paid to test and monitor how the app is used. The company says the firms are under "strict contractual terms that provide for the highest level of confidentiality, data security and user privacy." Grindr says data that may include location or information from HIV status fields are "always transmitted securely with encryption."

Grindr says it's important to remember it is a public forum and users have the option to post information about their HIV status and date when last tested. It says its users should carefully consider what information they list in their profiles.