Drinking habits leaked: what it means and what to do
Risk level: medium. Can you change it: no. Found in 7 breaches in this directory.
What this data is
Answers about alcohol use, such as never, socially or regularly, stored by dating apps, health and fitness apps, insurer questionnaires, surveys, and sometimes treatment or recovery services.
The risk on its own
On a dating profile, a drinking habit is a minor lifestyle detail that matches could already see. The risk rises sharply when the source is a health app, an insurance questionnaire or a recovery service, because then it becomes health information that can suggest dependence or treatment.
The risk combined with other data
With your name and employer, a record suggesting heavy drinking or treatment can damage a career, surface in a custody dispute or change how an insurer sees you. People in recovery can be targeted by people who want to embarrass or pressure them. It also adds to the lifestyle profiles data brokers sell.
How criminals use it
Someone threatens to tell your employer or family about a treatment record unless you pay.
A person in recovery starts receiving alcohol promotions matched to their leaked answers.
A former partner uses leaked drinking data in a family law dispute to question your parenting.
Lifestyle answers are sold to marketers and used to profile you for insurance or lending offers.
What to do now
Check which service leaked the data. If it was a health, insurance or treatment provider, ask exactly what was exposed and request a copy of your records.
Remove drinking and other lifestyle answers from dating and social profiles where they are optional.
If you are in recovery and the leak is causing distress, tell your treatment provider or a support line so they can help you manage it.
Do not pay an extortion demand. Keep the messages and report them to police.
Opt out of health and wellness marketing in the app settings, and ask the company to delete lifestyle survey data it does not need.
Frequently asked questions
Could an insurer find out about this?
A reputable insurer should not rely on breached data, and in many places doing so would break privacy law. Leaked lifestyle data can still drift into broker files, so opt out of data brokers where you can.
Is a drinking habit on a dating profile sensitive?
Not very. Matches could usually see it already. It matters far more when it comes from a health app or a treatment service.
Are alcohol treatment records protected?
Yes. In the US, the federal rule known as 42 CFR Part 2 adds extra confidentiality for substance use treatment records, and health privacy laws elsewhere treat them as sensitive.
Breaches that exposed this data
Mate1.com: 2016-02-29, 27M accounts, Astrological signs, Dates of birth, Drinking habits, Drug habits, Education levels, Email addresses
Zoosk (2020): 2020-01-12, 24M accounts, Dates of birth, Drinking habits, Education levels, Email addresses, Ethnicities, Family structure
MeetMindful: 2020-01-26, 1.4M accounts, Dates of birth, Drinking habits, Drug habits, Email addresses, Genders, Geographic locations
CyberServe: 2021-10-29, 1.1M accounts, Dates of birth, Drinking habits, Email addresses, Family structure, Genders, Geographic locations
Beautiful People: 2015-11-11, 1.1M accounts, Beauty ratings, Car ownership statuses, Dates of birth, Drinking habits, Education levels, Email addresses
Breach data sourced from Have I Been Pwned, used under CC BY 4.0. Additional breach metadata provided by XposedOrNot. DataExposed is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.