(NewsNation) — Tea, an app designed to help women spot “red-flag men” and catch cheaters, has been hacked after going viral this week.
The app announced it had discovered “unauthorized access to an archived data system” in a statement on social media Friday. That data system held an estimated 72,000 user-submitted images, including 13,000 images of selfies, some of which included photo IDs submitted during account verification.
In addition, 59,000 images publicly viewable in the app from posts, comments and direct messages from over two years ago were also accessed. According to the company, that data was stored in order to meet law enforcement standards around cyberbullying prevention.
“We’ve acted fast and we’re working with some of the most trusted cyber security experts” the statement said. “We’re taking every step to protect this community.”
According to the statement, data of users who signed up for Tea after February 2024 is secure.
News of the hack comes just days after the app surged to the top of Apple’s U.S. App Store. Tea, which markets itself as a dating safety app for women, allows users to anonymously post photos of the men they’re dating — or considering dating — to gauge others’ experiences with them.
Once verified as a woman (no men allowed), users gain access to a nationwide forum of posts and can even set alerts on men’s names to check for cheating reports. The app features safety tools like background checks, catfish image searches, sex offender screening, and phone number lookups — helping women get “the tea,” slang for gossip, on the men in their area.
The app has raised concerns of privacy breaches, as women don’t need men’s permission to post their photos.
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