Tea (app)
Tea, officially Tea Dating Advice, is a mobile phone application that allows women to post personal data about men they are interested in or are currently dating. Founded in 2023 by Sean Cook, Tea rose to prominence in July 2025 after it "became the subject of videos and conversations about dating and gender dynamics on social media." The app has been the subject of substantial controversy for both its functions and its exposure of user data. The app was the subject of two major data leaks in July 2025, in which users' photographs, messages and personal information were leaked. Ten class action lawsuits have been filed against the company as of 7 August 2025.[1][2] There have been calls to remove or hide its visibility on app stores by cybersecurity experts.[3] HistoryThe company that created the app was founded by businessman and tech capitalist Sean Cook.[4] Cook stated that he was inspired to create the app because of his mother's experiences from online dating.[4] First released in 2023, Tea's polarizing reception led it to go viral in July 2025 after it "became the subject of videos and conversations about dating and gender dynamics on social media."[4][5] In its marketing, Tea's makers described it as "more than an app; it's a sisterhood", and promise that it can "find verified green flag men".[6] A publicity release on the company's Instagram channel features a description of the app as "An app that's like Yelp, except for it's reviews of men."[7][8] On its website, the company describes the app as "the safest place to spill tea",[6] using a term that refers to spreading gossip or inside information.[9][10] As of July 2025[update], the app's developers claimed it has over 4.6 million users.[6] FeaturesTea enables its users to upload, view, and comment on photos of men,[5] check men's public records, and perform image searches.[11] It also provides the ability to rate and review men, as well as a group chat function.[5][12] The app uses artificial intelligence to verify that the user is a woman through facial analysis and other personal information to preserve the app as a women-only space.[5] Users are required to submit their photo and an ID to access the app.[13] According to the company, users remain anonymous, and the requirement to upload an ID was removed in 2023.[14][4] Business Insider's Amanda Hoover described the app as a whisper network, digitized and distributed widely to disconnected users.[15] ReceptionThe app has been strongly criticized by cybersecurity experts for lacking adequate security and privacy protections.[16][3] Due to its functions, security/privacy practices, and exposure of user data, there have been widespread calls to remove the app from mobile app stores. Technologist John Gruber described Tea as an "app riddled with outrageous security/privacy vulnerabilities" and called for its visibility to be removed on the iOS and Android app stores, but questioned whether it warranted removal. By the end of 31 July, it appears to be hidden from search on Android.[3] Sources have stated that the two major data leaks show that Tea was not following its privacy policy and was storing personally identifying information of users past promised deletion guidelines.[17][13] Proponents have praised the app as an aid for women's safety by helping them check men for adultery, catfishing, criminal convictions and other "red flag" behaviors.[11][12][18] Critics have described the app as a doxing tool and a violation of privacy, an opportunity for defamation against innocent individuals, and a witch hunt.[7][19] In an interview with FOX 2, attorney William Barnwell stated that claims for defamation might apply in regard to false information, but that truth is an absolute defence in such cases. He also stated that there might be concerns in regard to cyber harassment laws.[20] Sean Cook has stated that the company's legal team receives about three legal threats per day. He said, "We have a lot of people that are unhappy about what we're doing, and that's OK with us. We believe this is a public service."[15] Data leaks
Ted Miracco, CEO of Approov[21]
First data leakIn July 2025, private messages, other personally identifying information, and approximately 72,000 images (13,000 selfies and photo IDs, and 59,000 images from app posts and direct messages) were leaked via 4chan.[22] Claims were made that its backend database was completely unsecured and without a password or any form of data encryption.[13][23] According to both The New York Times and R Street Institute, the leaked data strongly indicated that Tea is actively storing user verification data past their terms of service guidelines.[17][13] The app's publishers claimed that the leaked data contains data only from users who signed up before February 2024.[4] CNN reported that the data is expected to be used in facial recognition spoofing, biometric bypassing, fraud/other misrepresentations, and deepfakes. Richard Blech, CEO and co-founder of AI security firm XSOC Corp, told CNN that "There’s going to be action on that stolen information. There’s no question about it" and that those in the leaks should more thoroughly monitor their credit reports because biometric data "doesn't expire".[24] Second data leakAn even larger, more significant leak[25] of 1.1 million private messages between Tea's users from February 2023 to July 2025 were also leaked with a separate security vulnerability.[21] These messages included intimate conversations about controversial topics such as adultery and other forms of infidelity on their partners, discussions of abortion, phone numbers, meeting locations, and other confidential communications.[26] On July 28, the app's publishers accepted that the scale of the leaks were much larger than it previously claimed.[27] According to Ted Miracco, CEO of the cybersecurity company Approov, Tea was not following basic cybersecurity practices.[21]
The ability to private message users in the app has been subsequently taken offline.[28] The journalist Lindsey Ellefson wrote that regardless of individual's opinions, the fact that "thousands of women's photos and private messages were stored in such an insecure way by Tea that they have been exposed in multiple data breaches [within the last week] is definitely a very bad thing."[25] TeaspillA website called Teaspill created an Elo-based ranking game ("where users could view and rate women whose selfies were among the stolen files") that went viral on social media as part of a broader backlash against the website.[29] [30] An interactive, unverified map was also created of those in the files.[29] Class action lawsuits404 Media reported that a class action lawsuit had been filed against Tea in the US state of California. The plaintiff "seeks to hold the Defendant responsible for the harms it caused and will continue to cause" her and "thousands of other similarity situated persons in the massive and preventable cyberattack". The law firm expected more lawsuits to be filed in the future.[31] By 7 August 2025, ten class action lawsuits had been filed.[1][2] See also
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