Tea app was hacked as women’s photos, IDs and even DMS

Dating sites that bill themselves as prudent and private have often failed to live up to that promise. Take Ashley Madison, for example, a dating website was marketed especially for people seeking extramarital cases, which faced massive data violations in 2015. Hackers leaked data from 32 million users, including personal information, emails and financial details, causing public outrage, cases, and reported suicide.

Now, a dating safety app called tea has faced its own violations, compromising selfie, photo identity, and images from posts, comments and direct messages within the app.

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Dior data breech exposes us the personal information of customers

What you should know about tea data violation

Tea 2023 launched the US-based “Dating Security” app for women, requiring selfie and verification through the ID issued by the government. The requirement of ID was later phased out that year. The app gained viral momentum in July 2025, reached the top of the US app store and earned millions of users

On 25 July, users on 4chan discovered a publicly accessible firebase storage bucket in which tea users’ data (through 404Media). A post allegedly stated: “Driver license and face pics! Before they turn it off, get **** here!”

Tea later confirmed that a heritage database included unauthorized access to a heritage database in Brech, including 13,000 selfie and ID photos, and 59,000 pictures from posts, comments and messages. These belonged to users who signed up before February 2024.

The TEA leadership issued public statements confirming the image violation and claimed that the data came from the old system which was not migrated into the current safe infrastructure. Tea also said that no email address or phone numbers were exposed and only heritage users were affected.

The new revelations of independent researcher Kasara Rehjirdi and 404 media reporting revealed that in early 2023, about 1.1 million direct messages (DMS) spread until July 2025 were expanded beyond images. These included highly sensitive conversations about abortion, cheating, phone number, meeting information, and more.

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In response, tea disabled its DM system and offline the affected messaging system. The company announced that it found no evidence of infiltration into other parts of its infrastructure.

Cyberguy arrived on tea for comment, but did not receive any response until the time of publication.

Why the violation of the tea app is disastrous for users

Tea Data Breach is a bad dream for all its users, and it just proceeds to show how irresponsible companies are when avoiding privacy.

Tea deployed itself as a safe place for women to share intimate experiences and then failed on the most important promise made by her, protecting that intimacy.

It was not just a user name or email address. We are talking about government IDs, selfies and 1.1 million private DMs that have attacks, relationship details, and deep personal subjects such as attacks and abortion. You cannot go back to such a violation. Once they get out of images and conversations in the wild, they are effectively permanent.

Tea was not a common social app. This marketed itself as the “Dating Suraksha” platform for women, meaning that users had a proper expectation of high-level privacy security.

These leaks first hit a misunderstanding stage. The victims were not just exposed, they were immediately subject to harassment campaigns, doxing efforts, and their faces and stories were broadcast without consent.

6 ways you can protect yourself from tea data breech

If you have ever used tea or even signed up, it is important to take action now. Here are six stages to protect your privacy and help limit the outcome.

1) Sign up for identity theft protection

If your ID was part of the leakage, you are at risk of copying, and an identity theft protection service can help you stay safe. These services alert you to suspicious activity such as new credit inquiries, account openings, or changes in your financial records, which helps you to work before the loss spread.

See my tips and how to protect yourself from theft of identity Cyberguy.com/DentTheft.

2) Use a personal data removal service

Leaked selfies or names may end on people’s search sites or shady databases. A personal data removal service can help you remove all this personal information from the Internet. While no service promises to remove all your data from the Internet, if you want to continuously monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites continuously over a long period, a removal service is very good.

See my top pics for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already on the web Cyberguy.com/delete.

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3) Change your password and use two-factor authentication (2fa)

The attackers often cross-reference to user names and reused passwords on the Internet, even though your login was not part of the leak. To update and enable your password Two-factor authentication There is a basic but important defense on all accounts. Consider using a password manager, which safely stores and generates complex passwords, reducing the risk of reusing the password.

Check the best expert-review password managers of 2025 Cyberguy.com/passwords.

4) Be cautious for fishing and blackmail efforts and use strong antivirus software

After high-profile leaks, it is common for the victims to receive threatened messages. Do not answer Do not click on the link. Report the message and block the sender. If you feel insecure, contact local cybercrime officers or digital rights organization.

The best way to protect yourself from malicious links is to install strong antivirus software on all your devices. This security can also make you alert for email and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my pics for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices Cyberguy.com/Lockupyourtch.

5) Check where your images are being shared

Use reverse image search tools such as Google images or pimeyes, to see if your face has been posted elsewhere. If you get anything, then document it. Report it on the platform and avoid attaching directly with what it shared.

6) Enter a complaint with regulators

If you feel that your data was wrong, you can file a complaint:

• On Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reportfraud.ftc.gov
• Yours State Attorney General Or Data protection authority

This adds pressure to take responsibility on the company and can help prevent future misuse of your data.

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Kurt’s key to Techway

It is a matter of great shame that a platform promises privacy and gives women a place to open, which did not put it in an attempt to protect the data caught. If it was another type of app, it could still be contained. But one where people share sensitive information, put users in real danger. We are already seeing people harassing people whose data was leaked, and it will probably be spoiled from here.

Do you think apps handling sensitive data should be strict to safety standards? Write us and tell us Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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