The Tea app, a controversial dating platform that allows women to anonymously review men, is facing serious legal consequences after two class action lawsuits were filed in California this week. The lawsuits come in the wake of massive data breaches that exposed private images, identification documents, and personal messages of users to the public.
The app, which surged to the No. 2 spot in Apple’s App Store, suffered breaches that leaked an estimated 72,000 images. Among the compromised materials were selfies and ID cards submitted for verification, as well as private chat logs. The breaches prompted legal action alleging negligence, breach of implied contract, and violation of user trust.
One lawsuit, filed on behalf of user Griselda Reyes, accuses the company of failing to safeguard user data during its explosive growth. Her attorney, Scott Cole, stated, “They were just sloppy,” blaming rapid scaling for inadequate security measures. Reyes is demanding that Tea purge all private data and implement strict encryption protocols.
A second, more disturbing lawsuit was filed by an anonymous Jane Doe. The plaintiff joined Tea to warn other women about a known sexual predator. She claims Tea assured her anonymity and the deletion of her verification data—promises that were broken when her private information was leaked and circulated online.
This lawsuit also names social media platforms X and 4chan, alleging they allowed the stolen data to be spread across their sites. Neither platform has issued a statement on the matter.
The complaint emphasizes the breach’s traumatic impact: “A safety app that made its users less safe, an anonymity platform that exposed identities… a tool meant to protect women that instead delivered their personal information to those who would do them harm.”
Despite the mounting legal troubles, Tea continues to rank near the top of the App Store. The platform allows users to flag men as “red” or “green,” submit anonymous dating reviews, and access paywalled services like background checks and reverse image lookups.
Attorney Scott Cole confirmed ongoing discussions with other legal teams about consolidating future lawsuits. Tea has stated it is offering free identity protection to affected users, but that response may fall short of addressing the damage already done.
