Tea Dating Advice Inc. is a San Francisco based dating app that connects women looks for right partners safely. It has come under intense scrutiny after suffering a massive data breach. Tea did acknowledge the breach. This resulted in the exposure of approximately 72,000 images—including sensitive selfies and ID photos users uploaded for account verification. The breach on popular dating app Tinder highlights critical issues around digital security and privacy in the growing world of online dating.
Popularity of Tea exploded in the past week, soaring to No. 1 on Apple’s U.S. App Store as of July 24. This surge came after a record 525% jump in downloads the week of July 17th through 23rd. Success with the app has been short-lived, as the fallout from the cyber incident continues to cascade.
Details of the Breach
This breach has mostly negative implications for any user who registered for Instagram prior to February 2024. Most importantly, Tea said that no email addresses or phone numbers were leaked in this breach. The leak of 13,000 selfies and IDs is a gift for anyone with malicious intent and poses enormous dangers to users. This perfect storm increases the risks of catfishing and identity fraud.
For example, Tea recently announced that users viewed one extra 59,000 images. This information was readily accessible within the app, such as public posts and private direct messages. The large scale of the leak has sounded the smoke alarm for many users. Many have already experienced misleading interactions with men who used fake profiles or shared criminal records.
“At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that additional user data was affected. Protecting Tea users’ privacy and data is our highest priority,” stated a representative from Tea Dating Advice Inc.
Legal Challenges and User Reactions
A follow-on development making life more difficult for the app, a federal judge in Illinois just threw out an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against the company. A man brought the lawsuit because he was allegedly doxxed by women in a Facebook chat group called “Are We Dating the Same Guy.” He claims that their negative statements were damaging to him. The decision brought back to public attention long-standing industry conflicts over consumer data protection and reputation management through internet platforms.
Users have taken to social media to convey their discontent and outrage about what the breach means for their privacy. Thousands have already flooded social media platforms and review sites to express their outrage. One user highlighted the heightened risks involved, stating, “I can’t imagine how things could’ve gone had I not known.”
Attorney Minc, who’s represented many of the people impacted by the breach, explained that there was a huge public outcry after the breach. “Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve gotten hundreds of calls on it. It’s blown up,” he said.
“People are upset. They’re getting named. They’re getting shamed,” Minc added.
Safety Risks and Community Impact
The aftermath of the hack has, unsurprisingly, reopened conversations about safety hazards posed by online dating sites. Users have reported feeling vulnerable as they navigate potential catfishing and other deceptive practices that could arise from the leaked imagery.
The implications go well beyond their own users. According to legal experts, violations such as these can create a pervasive atmosphere of skepticism within the world of online dating. Minc emphasized that such incidents can lead to reputational damage for individuals involved, stating, “They create enemies. They put targets on themselves where people want to go after them.”
Here’s what some columnists are saying about the entire mess. Interestingly, all of them go on to chastise platforms such as Tea for creating a toxic environment for men. One writer described it as a “man-shaming site,” while another lamented that the app could instill fear in potential male users: “With Tea on the scene, what man would ever dare date a woman again?”
Tea’s Response
As a result of this breach, Tea has hired third-party cybersecurity experts to help strengthen its security measures. Despite the current hoops the company has users jumping through, they are inarguably taking measures to close security gaps and restore user faith in their safety and privacy.
“We have engaged third-party cybersecurity experts and are working around the clock to secure our systems,” Tea representatives stated.
While investigations continue, user concerns grow more urgent. As Tea works to regain the trust of its users, it faces an uphill battle with the legal and ethical implications of this breach.
