Tea Dating App Breached: Thousands of User IDs and Photos Exposed

Tea, an app for women to discuss men they date safely, has been breached, exposing 72,000 images, including selfies and IDs, but no email addresses or phone numbers. The breach only affects users who signed up before February 2024. Tea is working with cybersecurity experts to secure its systems and protect user privacy. The app has reached 4 million users.

The Tea app, which has gained significant popularity among women for its anonymous dating advice and reviews, has been the target of a data breach. The breach, which occurred on July 25, 2025, exposed 72,000 images, including selfies and IDs, but no email addresses or phone numbers. The breach only affects users who signed up before February 2024.

The Tea app, which allows users to post men anonymously and share advice or reviews, has seen a surge in popularity, reaching 4 million users. However, the recent data breach has raised serious privacy concerns. According to a spokesperson for Tea, the breach involved a legacy data system containing information from over two years ago. The company has stated that it is working with third-party cybersecurity experts to secure its systems and protect user privacy.

The breach was first reported by 404 Media and later confirmed by Tea. The company has not released the exact details of the images exposed, but it has stated that approximately 13,000 of the images were selfies or photo identification "submitted during account verification," while another 59,000 images from within the app, as well as comments and direct messages, were accessed without authorization.

The Tea app has seen an influx of new users and hit the top spot in the US Apple App Store this week. On Friday, the company posted an Instagram story stating that more than 2 million new users have requested to join the app. However, the recent data breach has cast a shadow over the app's popularity and raised concerns about its security measures.

Tea has stated that it is taking every necessary step to ensure the security of its platform and prevent further exposure. The company has also stated that it does not believe that current or additional user data was affected by the breach.

The Tea app has angered some men, and prompted a thread on the right-wing troll message board 4Chan, where users called for a "hack and leak" campaign. The company became aware of the incident early Friday morning, and a 4Chan user posted a link on Friday morning, allegedly allowing people to download the database of stolen images.

The Tea app has seen a significant increase in users since its launch, and the recent data breach has highlighted the importance of data security and privacy in the digital age. As the app continues to grow, it will be crucial for Tea to address these concerns and implement robust security measures to protect its users' data.

References:

[1] https://www.businessinsider.com/tea-app-user-selfies-women-data-exposed-breach-2025-7
[2] https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/tea-app-hacked-13000-photos-leaked-4chan-call-action-rcna221139
[3] https://www.barrons.com/articles/tea-app-data-breach-online-dating-31a46261