Tea Dating App Suffers Major Setback as Private Messages About Abortions, Infidelity, and Sensitive Information Leak, Affecting Over 1 Million Women Worldwide

Launched in 2023, Tea is a dating discussion platform designed explicitly for women, enabling them to share insights and feedback about their dating experiences in a secure environment. This initiative quickly gained enormous traction, especially within the United States, where it soared to the top of the Apple App Store rankings. However, the app’s rapid ascent was abruptly marred by a significant security incident on July 25, 2025, which resulted in the exposure of sensitive information such as photo IDs, selfies, and user comments due to vulnerabilities in an outdated storage system. Compounding the situation, a second major data breach has recently come to light, revealing over one million direct private messages exchanged by female users, thereby transforming the app into a privacy crisis.

Tea App Fallout Deepens as 1.1 Million Women’s Private Chats Leaked Online

Ironically, while the Tea app was created to help women identify warning signs in their relationships, it has jeopardized the safety of those it intended to support. Just days after the first breach, which compromised around 72, 000 images, news of an even more alarming data leak has left users and the technology community deeply troubled about the risks to user privacy.

According to a report by 404 Media, the second breach poses greater risks than its predecessor by exposing private conversations and direct messages of approximately one million women. This revelation not only breaches the trust users placed in the platform but also highlights the serious missteps in ensuring user confidentiality. The independent researcher who uncovered these vulnerabilities indicated that sensitive subjects, including discussions surrounding infidelity and abortion, were included in the leaked data.

In response to the escalating crisis, Tea acknowledged the ongoing vulnerabilities and confirmed the hacking of private messages. However, the company was quick to clarify that the current exposure was part of the original breach rather than a new incident, stating:

We have recently learned that some direct messages (DMs) were accessed as part of the initial incident. Out of an abundance of caution, we have taken the affected system offline. At this time, we have found no evidence of access to other parts of our environment.

Despite Tea’s assertion that the compromised messages are merely a continuation of the first breach, skepticism remains among users and tech experts about the true extent of the data exposure. Many critics accuse the company of negligence, intensifying scrutiny as concerns regarding security measures and data protection failures mount.

The incidents underscore the urgent need for dating app developers to prioritize robust security protocols, ensuring user data remains secure and private. As the fallout from these breaches develops, it remains to be seen how Tea plans to restore user trust and enhance its data protection strategies.

Source & Images