A recent data breach has shaken the foundations of Tea Dating Advice, a growing dating safety app focused on empowering women by allowing them to perform background checks on potential partners. The cyberattack exposed around 72,000 images submitted by users, including sensitive verification photos where women held identification. The breach predominantly affected members who joined before February 2024, prompting Tea to declare that it was "swiftly addressing" the situation with help from leading cybersecurity experts.
The app, which has garnered 1.6 million users, aims to protect women against online dangers such as catfishing and dishonest dating profiles. It offers features for women to check if their potential partners have past criminal records or are married, as well as a red flag-sharing system that informs users of concerning behaviors.
However, the platform has sparked controversy due to claims of being anti-men. The company reassured users that the breached images couldn't directly link to the app's posts thanks to its screenshot blocking policy. Despite this claim, Tea announced that an additional 59,000 images—encompassing posts, comments, and direct messages from the past two years—were accessed during the breach.
Sean Cook, the app's creator, founded Tea in late 2022 after witnessing the challenges his mother faced with online dating. He criticized traditional dating platforms for failing to safeguard their users against harassment and predatory behaviors. Yet, critics argue that apps like Tea may pose risks of privacy invasion and defamation for men.
In related legal news, a recent lawsuit against Meta, tied to comments made about an individual in a dating-related group, illustrates the ongoing tensions around privacy and safety in the digital dating landscape. As discussions surrounding online dating safety reignite, the future of apps like Tea hangs in the balance.
