The women’s safety app Tea, which gained viral popularity for allowing users to share dating red flags and verify men, was removed from the Apple App Store due to multiple data breaches exposing highly sensitive user data. The breaches included: - An exposed database containing users’ driver’s licenses and selfies (targeted by 4chan trolls). - A second breach leaking direct messages, including discussions about abortions and infidelity. - A third breach exposing personal data of affiliate influencers paid to promote the app. The app also faced a class-action lawsuit and accusations of unethical competition (e.g., hijacking the Are We Dating the Same Guy community). Despite disabling messaging post-breach, Tea continued growing its userbase. Apple cited violations of privacy policies (sharing minors’ data without consent) and lack of content moderation as reasons for removal. The app remains available on Google Play, alongside copycats.

The Tea Dating Advice app suffered a data breach on July 25, 2025, exposing 72,000 user images (including 13,000 selfies and verification documents) and 1.1 million private messages containing identifying details (contacts, social profiles). The breach occurred due to unsecured legacy storage accessible via a public URL, with some data later surfacing on 4chan. The app, marketed as a safe space for women to discuss dating, failed to implement adequate security measures, despite handling highly sensitive personal data. The company’s delayed response—updating its privacy policy only after the incident—highlighted systemic negligence in data protection. The leaked data, including private conversations and verification documents, poses severe risks of identity theft, harassment, and reputational harm to users, compounded by the app’s large U.S. user base.

On 25 July 2025, the US-based dating app Tea Dating Advice (The Tea app) suffered a major data breach exposing 72,000 verification images (selfies, ID photos, screenshots) and later 1.1 million private messages containing user locations, phone numbers, and personal conversations. The leaked data, posted on 4chan, included sensitive identity documents and biometric information from users who signed up before February 2024. The breach occurred as the app surged in popularity, reaching #1 in the US Apple Store, and coincided with the UK’s rollout of mandatory age verification under the Online Safety Act 2023, which requires similar ID uploads. The exposed data poses severe risks of fraud, identity theft, reputational harm, and legal repercussions, with multiple lawsuits already filed. The incident highlights vulnerabilities in platforms handling high-value verified identity data, making them prime targets for cybercriminals. The breach’s scale and sensitivity of compromised information—linking real identities to online activity—amplify its severity, with potential long-term consequences for affected users and the company’s compliance under GDPR and other regulations.