Tea, the app known for giving women a platform to anonymously rate and review their dating experiences, is now under the spotlight for a very different reason. On Saturday, the company confirmed that hackers had breached its systems, exposing around 72000 images submitted by users. This includes 13000 selfies and ID verification photos, along with over 59000 images from posts, comments, and private messages.
The app, which rose to popularity for putting women’s safety at the forefront, has long marketed itself as a secure space for women to share insights and protect each other in the dating world. But the recent breach has left users questioning how secure that space truly is. Tea stated that the hack only affected users who registered before February 2024 and reassured that no phone numbers or emails were compromised.
The company has since brought in third-party cybersecurity experts and is reportedly working around the clock to patch vulnerabilities and reinforce its security systems. Tea’s spokesperson said they detected unauthorized access and acted immediately, though the breach was first brought to light by 404 Media a day earlier.
The incident is particularly alarming given the nature of the app, which thrives on anonymity and trust. Many of the exposed images were private exchanges, including photo IDs used for verification, a critical part of Tea’s approval process. With more than two million users requesting access to the app in recent days alone, this breach has raised significant concerns over how fast-growing social apps are handling the sensitive information of their communities.
Tea has not released full details on how the breach occurred or who was behind it, but the damage is done. As the digital world continues to intertwine with private lives, this serves as another stark reminder that no platform is immune from cyber threats. Even apps that are designed to protect users from unsafe dating scenarios must remain vigilant in protecting their own digital infrastructure.
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