USA - Jul 28, 2025 - Tea, a women’s dating safety app designed to allow anonymous sharing of information about men, has been hit by a significant data breach, compromising approximately 72,000 user images. The breach, exposed 13,000 selfies and photo IDs used for account verification, alongside 59,000 images from posts, comments, and direct messages within the app.
The company confirmed the unauthorized access to a legacy data storage system, affecting only users who registered before February 2024. Tea assured users that no email addresses or phone numbers were compromised. In response, the company has engaged third-party cybersecurity experts and implemented additional security measures to address the breach.
The incident, first reported by 404 Media, allegedly involved 4chan users sharing the stolen data after discovering an exposed database hosted on Google’s Firebase platform. This breach comes at a time when Tea has seen a surge in popularity, reaching the top spot in the free app rankings on Apple’s App Store as of July 26, 2025.
Tea, which markets itself as a platform to help women verify the safety of potential dates, requires new users to submit verification selfies and IDs to ensure only women join the platform. The app’s viral success has sparked both praise for its safety-focused mission and controversy over privacy concerns, with critics highlighting risks of defamation and misuse of personal information.
“We are taking every necessary step to ensure the security of our platform and prevent further exposure,” a Tea spokesperson stated, emphasizing their commitment to user privacy. The company is conducting a full investigation to assess the breach’s scope and plans to release further findings.
This incident underscores the growing challenges of data security for apps handling sensitive user information, particularly those aimed at protecting vulnerable communities. As Tea works to restore trust, the breach serves as a stark reminder of the importance of robust cybersecurity measures.
