On the heels of a recent surge in popularity, Tea Dating Advice, which safeguards women's interests by allowing background checks on potential partners, reported a severe data breach involving 72,000 images submitted by users. The company, which prides itself on user privacy, stated that some of these images include women holding identification for verification. Reportedly, these verification images were to be deleted immediately under their privacy policy.
The breach particularly impacted members who signed up before February 2024, prompting Tea to reassure users that it had responded swiftly, teaming up with renowned cyber security experts to mitigate the damage.
The app, which boasts around 1.6 million users, provides services to verify if potential partners have committed serious offenses and offers features against "catfishing," a term used to describe deceitful online practices where individuals use fake identities. Despite its popularity, Tea has faced criticism, particularly from men who argue that it's an anti-male platform.
Among its controversial features, the app allows users to anonymously report concerning behaviors while highlighting positive traits of men they have encountered. Although the company asserts that the breached images cannot be linked directly to user posts, they confirmed that an additional 59,000 images showcasing posts, comments, and direct messages from over two years had also been compromised.
Tea maintains that they are proactively working on ensuring the safety of their community and their commitment to privacy remains unchanged. Founded in November 2022 by Sean Cook, the app emerged as a response to alarming trends in online dating that expose women to potential harm.
The legal implications regarding privacy invasion have also been highlighted, as some users claim that reporting mechanisms could lead to defamation. Earlier this year, a lawsuit involving a chat group accused of making defamatory statements was dismissed by a federal judge, indicating the ongoing dilemma surrounding user privacy in digital platforms.
The breach particularly impacted members who signed up before February 2024, prompting Tea to reassure users that it had responded swiftly, teaming up with renowned cyber security experts to mitigate the damage.
The app, which boasts around 1.6 million users, provides services to verify if potential partners have committed serious offenses and offers features against "catfishing," a term used to describe deceitful online practices where individuals use fake identities. Despite its popularity, Tea has faced criticism, particularly from men who argue that it's an anti-male platform.
Among its controversial features, the app allows users to anonymously report concerning behaviors while highlighting positive traits of men they have encountered. Although the company asserts that the breached images cannot be linked directly to user posts, they confirmed that an additional 59,000 images showcasing posts, comments, and direct messages from over two years had also been compromised.
Tea maintains that they are proactively working on ensuring the safety of their community and their commitment to privacy remains unchanged. Founded in November 2022 by Sean Cook, the app emerged as a response to alarming trends in online dating that expose women to potential harm.
The legal implications regarding privacy invasion have also been highlighted, as some users claim that reporting mechanisms could lead to defamation. Earlier this year, a lawsuit involving a chat group accused of making defamatory statements was dismissed by a federal judge, indicating the ongoing dilemma surrounding user privacy in digital platforms.
