The Tea app, which allows women to leave anonymous dating reviews of men, is now facing legal trouble in the form of two class action lawsuits filed on Monday. The platform has suffered multiple data breaches exposing private user data and photos to the internet at large.
Business Insider reports that the Tea app, which recently skyrocketed to the top of Apple’s App Store charts, has been hit with two class action lawsuits following data breaches that exposed private user information. The breaches, which occurred last week, resulted in the leak of approximately 72,000 images, including selfies and identification documents used for user verification, as well as private messages exchanged on the platform.
Both lawsuits were filed in the Northern District of California and allege negligence, breach of implied contract, and other claims against Tea. The first lawsuit, filed on behalf of Griselda Reyes, states that a photo she submitted during the app’s sign-up process was accessed during the breach. Scott Cole, the lead attorney on Reyes’ case, commented, “I don’t think that this organization intended to violate people’s rights. I think they were just sloppy.” He added that the app’s recent viral success and rapid growth in user numbers likely contributed to the security lapse.
Reyes’ lawsuit seeks an injunction requiring Tea to encrypt all user data and purge private information, as well as monetary damages to be determined by the court. A Tea spokesperson previously stated that the company is working to identify affected users and will offer free identity protection services to those individuals.
The second lawsuit, brought forth by an anonymous Jane Doe, claims that she joined Tea to anonymously warn other women in her Northern California community about a man who had sexually assaulted at least two women. The suit states, “The app promised her that anonymity. It promised her safety. It promised to delete her verification data. Tea broke every one of those promises.”
In addition to naming Tea as a defendant, the second lawsuit also targets social media platforms X and 4chan, alleging that sensitive information from the breach was circulated on these sites. Neither X nor 4chan has responded to requests for comment.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of Jane Doe emphasizes the severity of the breach, stating, “In an age where data breaches have become commonplace, this case stands out for the particular cruelty of its impact: a safety app that made its users less safe, an anonymity platform that exposed identities, social media platforms that weaponized stolen data, and a tool meant to protect women that instead delivered their personal information to those who would do them harm.”
Attorney Scott Cole mentioned that his firm is in discussions with other attorneys, including some who have not yet filed, to potentially consolidate their cases against Tea.
Despite the ongoing legal issues, Tea remains a top-ranking app in the App Store, currently holding the Number two spot behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The app allows women to anonymously review men using “red” or “green” flags, share experiences with men they have dated or know, and seek dating advice in a forum setting. Tea also offers paywalled features such as background checks and reverse image searches to find an individual’s social media profiles.
Read more at Business Insider here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
