Count me among those grateful for the work of Catholic Laity and Clergy for Renewal (CLCR). A recent Washington Post article reports that this Denver-based non-profit worked to provide bishops and seminary rectors with information about potential problems in the clergy, especially behaviors that strongly suggest that individual priests are regularly violating their promise of celibacy.
The techniques used by CLCR are unique to our digital age. Although search engines, websites, and the apps we download seem free, in fact they are paid for by targeted advertising based on our online history, as well as our location. For example, if you are navigating with Google Maps and open another window on your smartphone, you may get ads from nearby stores or restaurants.
The same goes for dating apps like Tinder (popular for hook-ups between men and women) and Grindr (which caters to gay men). These apps are even more location-interested, given that they are designed to put you in touch with people nearby who want to have sex. There exist data marketplaces where those who wish to advertise can buy tranches of location information from tech companies, and then use them to target ads.
See the full article by R. R. Reno, March 10, 2023