Tea app leak puts 33,000 women's addresses on Google Maps
What's the story
A major data breach involving the dating-advice app 'Tea' has exposed personal information of its users. The BBC discovered two online maps allegedly showing the locations of women who signed up for Tea, with over 33,000 pins scattered across the United States. The maps were hosted on Google Maps but have since been removed by Google for violating their harassment policies.
Fallout
Class-action lawsuits filed against Tea
In the wake of this breach, over 10 women have filed class-action lawsuits against the company that owns Tea. The leaked information has also been misused on various platforms, including websites and apps. One such app even turned the selfies submitted by women into a "game," where users had to pick their favorite, complete with leaderboards for the "top 50" and "bottom 50."
Risks
Doxxing and defamation risks
The leak has raised serious concerns over potential defamation and doxxing. Defamation involves the spread of unproven allegations, while doxxing is when a person's private information is made public without their consent. These risks had been highlighted even before the app's popularity surged. Men's groups had even sought to take down Tea, viewing this data breach as an opportunity for revenge.
Strategy
Controversial tactics used by Tea for promotion
The controversy surrounding Tea isn't just limited to the data breach. Back in 2023, the fiance of Tea's CEO Sean Cook had approached the administrator of a Facebook group called "Are We Dating the Same Guy?" to promote their app. However, after failing to recruit her, Tea engaged in actions like paying influencers to undermine the group and creating similar Facebook groups for promotion.