Tea App Confirms Data Breach Exposed Thousands of User Images

Tea, a dating app designed to provide women with a platform to report negative experiences, has confirmed a security breach that exposed around 72,000 user images. The company stated on Friday that it identified unauthorized access to one of its systems, which included 13,000 images submitted for account verification—such as selfies and photo identification—and 59,000 images that were publicly viewable within the app from posts, comments, and direct messages.

According to Tea, the compromised images were stored in a "legacy data system" containing information from over two years ago. The company emphasized that, so far, there is no evidence suggesting that current or additional user data was impacted by the breach.

Reports of the leaked images surfaced earlier in the day on online forums, with claims that user faces and identification documents had been posted on 4chan. Tea requires users to verify their identities with selfies or IDs, which accounts for the presence of driver's licenses and facial images in the exposed data.

The incident has drawn attention to broader concerns about privacy and the security risks associated with online identity and age verification. In a statement on its website, Tea notes that it "takes reasonable security measures to protect your Personal Information," but also acknowledges that "no security measures are impenetrable." The company has launched a full investigation to determine the extent and impact of the breach.