Women-Only App Tea Suffers Data Breach Exposing 72,000 User Images

Tea, a women-only dating app that allows users to anonymously review men and share personal information, has suffered a major data breach exposing around 72,000 images, including 13,000 verification selfies and photo IDs. The breach, confirmed by Tea, affected only users who signed up before February 2024, and no email addresses or phone numbers were compromised. Hackers reportedly posted the leaked data on the platform 4chan, where users accessed and shared attachments from Tea’s database. Tea has engaged third-party cybersecurity experts and is working to secure its systems, emphasizing that protecting user privacy is their highest priority. The app, which recently surged to the top of the Apple App Store with over 4 million users, offers features such as background checks and reverse image searches to help women vet men on dating platforms like Tinder and Bumble. However, experts warn that the app’s doxxing nature could complicate dating dynamics and harm innocent individuals’ reputations.