Tea Lawsuit Claims Dating App Illegally Collects, Distributes Illinois Residents’ Biometric Data

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A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that the Tea dating app has illegally collected, used and distributed Illinois users’ biometric data without consent.

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According to the 11-page lawsuit, the identity and gender verification process for the Tea app involves analyzing users’ facial geometries through uploaded selfies, with some users also required to upload a photo of their driver’s license to allow them to access the platform.

However, the case alleges that the Tea app, advertised as allowing women to share dating advice and experiences in the interest of protecting their safety while dating, has violated the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) by failing to obtain proper written consent before collecting, retaining, disclosing and using users’ facial geometries.

Related Reading: Tea Data Breach Lawsuit Investigation Launched

Additionally, the lawsuit claims that Tea has failed to disclose publicly any BIPA-compliant written policy regarding its retention of and deletion practices for Illinois app users’ biometric data, as required by law. The case alleges that Tea further violated the BIPA by disclosing proposed class members’ biometric data to a third-party vendor without consent.

The complaint argues that Tea should have known about Illinois’ BIPA regulations, given that the law has been in effect for almost two decades.

The Tea Dating Advice class action lawsuit seeks to represent anyone whose biometric identifiers or information was collected, stored, disseminated or otherwise used by Tea within Illinois during the applicable statute of limitations period.

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