Dating App Tea Reports Major Data Breach, 72,000 Images Leaked

The women-focused dating review platform Tea has reported a major data breach in which around 72,000 user images were stolen, raising serious concerns about user privacy and platform security.

Tea, designed to allow women and queer users to review men and share dating experiences, confirmed the breach occurred through an older data storage system. Approximately 13,000 verification photos, which included selfies and ID documents, were compromised, along with 59,000 other images from posts, comments, and messages.

The company emphasized that no user phone numbers or emails were exposed and that only accounts created before February 2024 were affected. The breach came to light after images were leaked on 4chan, a controversial online forum known for hosting such content. Cybersecurity outlet 404 Media first reported the incident.

Tea has responded by engaging external cybersecurity experts, securing its systems, and updating internal protocols. A spokesperson stated that their current infrastructure is safe and no additional user data has been compromised since the breach.

Launched in 2023 by entrepreneur Sean Cook, Tea quickly gained traction, ranking high on the Apple App Store and attracting over 2 million new user requests recently. However, the platform has drawn criticism for enabling public reviews of private individuals, raising legal and ethical questions.

While U.S. law typically shields platforms from liability for user-generated content, legal experts caution that individuals may still face defamation or privacy lawsuits. The incident underscores growing cybersecurity vulnerabilities facing platforms that promote anonymity and safety.