Women’s Dating App Tea Hacked, Private Photos of 72,000 Women Stolen

Tea, a dating advice platform for women that describes itself as an app helping women avoid red flags before the first date by offering dating advice and revealing who’s really behind a profile has suffered a major data breach. The company has confirmed the incident, stating that it has identified unauthorised access to its systems.

According to a Reuters report, the breach includes a massive number of photos submitted to the platform. It has exposed 13,000 selfies and photo IDs uploaded for account verification. Additionally, hackers have accessed 59,000 other images taken from posts, comments, and direct messages.

The company has, however, confirmed that emails and phone numbers remain secure and that the breach affects only users who joined the dating app prior to February 2024.

Tea describes itself as a dating advice app that addresses some of the common problems associated with dating apps. It functions like a dating guide for women, helping them determine whether they are dating the same person and identify red flags in a relationship.

“Are we dating the same guy? Ask our anonymous community of women to make sure your date is safe, not a catfish, and not in a relationship. Already swiping for dates on Tinder, Bumble, Match, or Hinge? Tea is a must-have app, helping women avoid red flags before the first date with dating advice, and showing them who’s really behind the profile of the person they're dating,” reads the app’s description on the Play Store.

Women can anonymously share reviews of their dating experiences. A mandatory verification process is required to join the app, which involves uploading photos for vetting. These are deleted after the verification is complete. Tea has hired third-party cybersecurity experts to address the breach and restore the system.

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