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Dating Safety App Tea Disables Messaging After Second Major Data Leak
July 29, 2025
The dating safety app Tea, known for offering women a platform to share experiences about men they've dated, has now suffered a second significant data breach — just days after a previous incident exposed tens of thousands of sensitive user images.
Last week, Tea confirmed that a breach had exposed over 72,000 private images, including selfies and photo IDs used for account verification, along with photos shared in posts and private messages. The leaked material, much of it highly personal, was reportedly shared on online forums such as 4chan, sparking serious privacy concerns among users.
Now, a second security lapse has surfaced, as reported by 404 Media, prompting the company to take the drastic step of disabling its direct messaging feature on Tuesday afternoon. This new incident reportedly exposed over 1.1 million messages, many containing deeply personal conversations.
Independent security researcher Kasra Rahjerdi alerted the media to the breach, sharing examples of private messages in which users disclosed phone numbers, discussed abortions, and mentioned infidelity — clearly showing the high level of trust users had in the platform’s privacy protections.
Tea had earlier stated that the initial breach only affected accounts created before February 2024, but Rahjerdi’s findings contradict this, revealing data stretching from early 2023 to the present. The scope of the breach significantly widens the pool of affected users and raises further questions about the app's data handling practices.
In an Instagram post following the second breach, Tea announced it had temporarily disabled messaging, stating: “Out of an abundance of caution, we have taken the affected system offline.” The move appears to be a direct response to mounting concerns over user privacy and security vulnerabilities.
Despite these setbacks, Tea has surged in popularity. Launched in 2023, the app currently ranks No. 2 on Apple’s App Store among free apps. According to analytics firm Sensor Tower, Tea now has around 2 million monthly active users — making its security issues all the more urgent.
The situation highlights the risks involved in handling sensitive personal data, particularly for platforms that promise safety and confidentiality. As Tea works to recover trust, users are left waiting to see whether the platform can deliver on its core promise of privacy and protection.
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