Hi you – yes, you!
Imagine having an app available to download that is directly designed for women—where you can do background checks, leave reviews on the men you’ve gone on dates with, and even send “green flags” or “red flags.” A dream come true, right? That’s what Tea, the women-only dating and safety app, had promised. And now that dream has turned into somewhat of a cyberspace nightmare.
The app has also just recently had its life-or-death security flaw, and hundreds of thousands of users’ photographs and personal pictures were compromised. Yes, this is not a small bug — this is a outright data breach. Let’s go over what happened, how it might affect you, and what you can do now.
And oh! Just one heads-up before we even start: for breaking news like this one, always stop by [Polifinus.com](https://polifinus.com) — there’s always the real tea served piping hot there.
What is Tea anyway?
Let’s start with the basics.
Tea is a serious women’s dating app that lets you scroll through men’s history, conduct background checks, do a reverse image search (to trap catfishers), and even do a phone number search to trace concealed marriages. Picture a dating app with a guardian shield—your guardian.
The app even allows you to post anonymously about guys you’ve dated or hooked up with. So like, if a guy creeped you out? Warn other women so they don’t end up in the same unpleasant (or worse) position. Empowering, no?
The name of the app, “Tea,” is taken from the informal “spilling the tea,” or dishing out the real tale—the scoop, that is. Well, the app went viral just last week and hit #1 on the Apple App Store with nearly 1 million new users in a single week. Mind-blowing, right?
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What occurred on July 25?
On July 25, around 6:44 a.m. PST, Tea’s staff learned that one of their older storage systems suffered a gargantuan breach. Essentially, a “legacy system” that wasn’t updated or secured as thoroughly as its new counterpart. That’s the one the hackers targeted.
In total, approximately 72,000 images were compromised. Including:
- 13,000 selfies and photo IDs (yes, actual government-issued IDs),
- 59,000 photos of app posts, comments, and direct messages.
But — and that is important—no phone numbers or email addresses were compromised, Tea says. The breach only affected those who signed up for the app before February 2024. So if you signed up this year, you might be safe.
Why did they even have my selfie and ID?
Don’t worry, you weren’t paranoid. Tea originally required selfies and ID photos to make sure only women were signing up. It was the app’s security feature. That component was eliminated in 2023, following the app system’s improvement.
Old information, however, remained in a part of the app that hadn’t been updated—and that’s where problems arose.
Did Tea take care of it?
Luckily, yes.
Tea spread fast. The firm said its internal security teams and outside cybersecurity experts got to work immediately to seal off the platform. They’ve added extra security features and said they’ve “resolved the data issue.” But if your picture was already public, there’s unfortunately no taking that back.
In their own words
“Keeping our users’ data and privacy secure is our top priority. We’re doing everything we can to secure our platform and prevent further exposure.”
They’ve also made clear that users who signed up after February 2024 were not affected, because the app had made a switch to a more secure system by then. So, essentially, if you’re new here, chances are you’re good to go.
Is my photo one of the leaked ones?
That is the million-dollar question.
If you were an early Tea user (registered before February 2024), and you shared an ID or selfie at the same time, your photo may be included in the breach.
What you can do:
- Verify your previous Tea account usage – did you post an ID or engage in direct messages? If so, you could be one of the 72,000 affected.
- Monitor your online reputation – do a reverse image search on your selfie and see if it’s showing up where it shouldn’t.
- Contact Tea Support – they won’t have every individual’s name on the list, but they will inform you if your account was one of the ones that were compromised.
- Change your passwords – especially if you have the same one across multiple sites (we’ve all been there).
Do you still use Tea?
It’s up to you.
Security breaches are serious, but then again, they could act as a wake-up call for the companies to up their game. Tea claims it’s plugged the holes and doubled down on security. So it may be more secure now than ever before.
But be careful. With any app that asks for sensitive info—especially one that stores selfies or ID photos—always check their privacy policies first, and watch what you give them.
Why this leak is a bigger deal than it appears
Don’t dismiss it—this isn’t a case of lost selfies.
It’s an issue of trust. The app users are being injured, typically following prior dating trauma, and are employing the app as a defensive shield to guard themselves. When that defense is compromised, it stings more than your inbox.
It’s a reminder that even decent apps can err—especially if they are expanding too rapidly without enhancing their security.
Key takeaways
- Tea, a women’s dating app, suffered a data breach on July 25, exposing 72,000 images, including selfies and IDs.
- Only those who registered before February 2024 were affected.
- Email addresses and phone numbers were not accessed, the company says.
- Tea describes how it has fixed the bug and improved security.
- For this sort of update, visit [Polifinus.com](https://polifinus.com) for breaking stories, safety notices, and tech tips.
