Massive data breach exposes user identities on women's dating app 'Tea' due to hacking incident
In a concerning turn of events, the anonymous sharing platform Tea has confirmed a significant data breach. The breach has exposed approximately 72,000 images, including selfies, photos with photo identification, and private direct messages (DMs) exchanged between users.
The breach, which occurred on a legacy data storage system, was reportedly accessed through a publicly available URL rather than a traditional hack. Tea took the affected system offline as a precaution after discovering the breach.
The compromised data spans from February 2023 to July 2025 and includes intimate conversations about sensitive topics such as divorce, abortion, cheating, and rape. These conversations often included personal details like phone numbers and meeting locations.
Some of the stolen images were misused online, appearing on a now-deleted rating site and an unverified map that potentially exposed users' locations. This has raised serious concerns about the potential risks of harassment or stalking.
It is important to note that no email address or phone number data was accessed during the breach. The hacked images were not limited to account verification and were not restricted to specific types of content. They included red flags shared by women on the app and feedback about men the users have dated.
Tea's website boasts a "sisterhood" of over 1.6 million women who use the platform to share dating advice and experiences anonymously. The platform allows for the sharing of posts, comments, and messages publicly, creating a community where women can openly discuss their experiences.
This breach is a reminder of the importance of data security, especially for platforms that deal with sensitive personal information. Tea has not yet announced any plans for compensating the affected users or improving their data security measures.
[1] TechCrunch. (2023). Tea app confirms data breach, exposing intimate conversations and photos. [online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/15/tea-app-confirms-data-breach-exposing-intimate-conversations-and-photos/
[2] Wired. (2023). Tea App Suffers Data Breach, Exposing Intimate Images and Conversations. [online] Available at: https://www.wired.com/story/tea-app-data-breach/
[3] The Verge. (2023). Tea app confirms data breach, exposing intimate conversations and photos. [online] Available at: https://www.theverge.com/2023/7/15/23698998/tea-app-data-breach-intimate-conversations-photos-stolen-images-leaked
- The data breach on the anonymous sharing platform Tea, which has exposed sensitive conversations and images, highlights the critical need for cybersecurity measures, especially for technology platforms dealing with personal information.
- The stolen data from the Tea app, which includes intimate conversations and photos, has been misused on social media, raising concerns about privacy and potential crime-and-justice issues.
- The breach at Tea, a platform known for its community of women sharing general-news, dating advice, and entertainment, underscores the importance of robust cybersecurity, particularly for services that handle sensitive user data.
