Latest news with #TeaApp
Forbes
7 hours ago
- Forbes
Viral Tea App Breached, Exposing 13,000 Private User Images
Tea, the viral app that allows women to anonymously share photos of men they're dating, has been ... More breached. Tea, the viral app that allows women to anonymously share photos of men they're dating, has been breached. Over 72,000 images including 13,000 Tea user photos and government ID images — as well as 59,000 images from posts, comments and direct messages — have apparently been leaked online, according to a report in 404 Media. The 4Chan users told 404 Media they had found the images via an exposed database hosted on Google's mobile app development platform Firebase. The data trove of Tea users was reportedly shared on controversial platform 4Chan in the early hours of July 25, with information also available on X, formally Twitter. It came after the app was attacked by men as it went viral last week, seeing over a million downloads. Men are concerned about the way Tea — which allows women to 'spill Tea' about their dates and expose things such as infidelity — could be open to misuse. A thread posted on the right wing troll message board of 4Chan on July 24 allegedly called for a 'hack and leak' campaign, according to NBC News. Tea allows women to 'spill Tea' about their dates and expose things such as infidelity 'Yes, if you sent Tea App your face and drivers license, they doxxed you publicly! No authentication, no nothing. It's a public bucket,' a post on 4chan providing details of the vulnerability reads, according to 404 Media. 'DRIVERS LICENSES AND FACE PICS! GET THE F*** IN HERE BEFORE THEY SHUT IT DOWN!' Meanwhile, a map on Google Maps had been created that claims to show Tea users' locations — although it does not include names — according to NBC News. The Tea user photos are a result of the sign up process, which requires people to take selfies to prove they are who they say. This allows them to post anonymously on the app and Tea says the images are deleted after review. Data Accessed During The Tea Breach The data accessed was from 2023, according to a Tea spokesperson who was talking to NBC News. 'This data was originally stored in compliance with law enforcement requirements related to cyberbullying prevention,' they told NBC. Tea 'should be made accountable for this misinterpretation of how to record private information,' says Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET. 'This data should never have been stored, let alone made accessible." He points out that the Tea breach took place 'on the same weekend' the Online Safety Bill came into place in the UK. The Bill requires UK users to upload their IDs to view certain over-18s websites or content. I have asked Tea for a comment and will update this article if the firm responds. The Tea app is intended to create a safe space for women to share information about their dates online. The idea itself is noble, however, this data leak had shown the issues with the app itself — as well as the consequences when platforms don't have enough guardrails in place to protect users.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Women's dating app Tea reports 72,000 images stolen in security breach
(Reuters) -Tea, an app that lets women anonymously comment and review dates with men, said it has suffered a data breach, with hackers gaining access to 72,000 user images. A Tea spokesperson confirmed the hack to Reuters on Saturday, saying they had detected "unauthorized access to our systems" and about 72,000 images had been exposed, including 13,000 selfies and photo identifications submitted for account verification purposes, as well as 59,000 images from posts, comments, and direct messages. "We have engaged third-party cybersecurity experts and are working around the clock to secure our systems," the company said in a statement, adding that no emails or phone numbers were exposed, and that only users who signed up before February 2024 were affected. The breach was first reported by 404 Media early on Friday. The app, which says its motto is "women should never have to compromise their safety while dating," is a platform where women who sign up and are approved after a verification process can anonymously share information about men they are interested in in Yelp-style reviews. It has gained increasing popularity, saying on Instagram that more than two million users in the past few days had asked to join the app. Signing up for Tea requires users to take selfies, which the app says are deleted after review.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Women's dating app Tea reports 72,000 images stolen in security breach
(Reuters) -Tea, an app that lets women anonymously comment and review dates with men, said it has suffered a data breach, with hackers gaining access to 72,000 user images. A Tea spokesperson confirmed the hack to Reuters on Saturday, saying they had detected "unauthorized access to our systems" and about 72,000 images had been exposed, including 13,000 selfies and photo identifications submitted for account verification purposes, as well as 59,000 images from posts, comments, and direct messages. "We have engaged third-party cybersecurity experts and are working around the clock to secure our systems," the company said in a statement, adding that no emails or phone numbers were exposed, and that only users who signed up before February 2024 were affected. The breach was first reported by 404 Media early on Friday. The app, which says its motto is "women should never have to compromise their safety while dating," is a platform where women who sign up and are approved after a verification process can anonymously share information about men they are interested in in Yelp-style reviews. It has gained increasing popularity, saying on Instagram that more than two million users in the past few days had asked to join the app. Signing up for Tea requires users to take selfies, which the app says are deleted after review.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Tea Is the Top Free App Right Now. What It Is and Why So Many Women Are Using It
Ask any single woman right now, and they'd probably tell you how rough it is in the dating world. With ghosting and misleading bios, it can be challenging to know who you're really talking to on dating apps -- and whether they're telling you the truth. Tea is an app that allows women to anonymously review men and spill "the tea" on men they've dated. About 1 million women have started using the app in the past week. It's reminiscent of those Facebook "Are We Dating the Same Guy?" groups that many cities have, except this app uses AI to verify that the people making profiles are women. Tea has become a viral sensation in the last few weeks -- for good and bad reasons. The app experienced a security breach -- revealed Friday -- in which data, including women's driver's licenses and selfies, was posted to 4chan. The breach is reportedly the result of Tea's unsecured database. The company confirmed to CNET that unauthorized access to its systems had occurred. What is the Tea app? Tea is a free, women-only app exclusive to the US. It's not a dating app; it's a tool that women use in addition to their dating apps. It's a space where you can share negative interactions while dating and solicit feedback on specific men you date to expose potential risks and protect other women. It was founded in 2023 by Sean Cook, who cites his mother getting catfished online as the motivation for the app. Tea has taken off in the past week, gaining more than a million users in that time. According to a social media post from Tea, the app has about 4 million users. It's the top free app in the App Store right now. Tea is intended to function as a community that keeps women safe, something that traditional dating apps lack. With candid reviews and warnings from other women about people they've dated, Tea offers women the security of having a better idea of who they're dating. When you open the app, you'll see local men in your area whose pictures have been uploaded. You'll also see if the man was labeled as a red or green flag, and any comments left by other women. You can look up specific names in the search bar and create alerts for names. The app's capabilities aren't limited to comments about a man's "red flags." Tea can also reverse-search photos to catch catfishers through Tea's Catfish Finder AI, run background checks, check for criminal histories and public records and look up phone numbers. Additionally, you can post questions and polls on the Tea app. According to Tea's website, 10% of its profits go to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. How does Tea know if I'm a woman? Not just anyone can join the Tea app -- it's for women only. When you make an account, you'll be asked to provide your location, birth date and a picture of your ID or a selfie to verify that you're a woman. Then you wait to be approved, which people are saying can take days from the influx of new users. The Tea app uses AI to verify your identity and ensure you're a woman. Once approved, you're anonymous apart from the username you choose. Tea uses SafeSip AI as a moderation tool that detects and removes harmful content from the app to ensure it stays a safe space for women. Can I join Tea if I'm not a woman? You can't join the Tea app if you're not a woman. However, uploading a picture to ensure you're a woman is far from a bulletproof way to ensure only women join the app. With filters or AI tools, it's not clear how often Tea catches things like that. What are the security risks of Tea? Tea presents as a safe space to share information because you can't screenshot in the app, you're anonymous and it's verified that all accounts are women. However, the data breach shows us just how fragile something like this can be. Tea confirmed on Friday that there was unauthorized access to its legacy data storage system. Approximately 72,000 images were exposed, including 13,000 images of selfies and photo identification women submitted to make an account, and 59,000 images publicly viewable in the app from posts, comments and direct messages. Tea told CNET that the company has engaged third-party cybersecurity experts to secure its systems. The concept of Tea is to keep women safe and give them a space to share negative experiences so that others don't have to go through the same thing. However, there has also been backlash about whether the app violates men's privacy. On forums like Reddit, some men have shared that posts about them on the app have been false or misleading, and because they're not allowed on the app, they cannot engage to correct the posts. In the same way that it could be a safe place for women to share information to keep each other safe, it could potentially become a space where misinformation runs rampant and personal information is shared. Tea didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the potential for misinformation being spread on its platform, or of the allegations of privacy violations against men. We have also asked Tea whether the platform is heterosexually geared only. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Women's dating app Tea reports 72,000 images stolen in security breach
(Reuters) -Tea, an app that lets women anonymously comment and review dates with men, said it has suffered a data breach, with hackers gaining access to 72,000 user images. A Tea spokesperson confirmed the hack to Reuters on Saturday, saying they had detected "unauthorized access to our systems" and about 72,000 images had been exposed, including 13,000 selfies and photo identifications submitted for account verification purposes, as well as 59,000 images from posts, comments, and direct messages. "We have engaged third-party cybersecurity experts and are working around the clock to secure our systems," the company said in a statement, adding that no emails or phone numbers were exposed, and that only users who signed up before February 2024 were affected. The breach was first reported by 404 Media early on Friday. The app, which says its motto is "women should never have to compromise their safety while dating," is a platform where women who sign up and are approved after a verification process can anonymously share information about men they are interested in in Yelp-style reviews. It has gained increasing popularity, saying on Instagram that more than two million users in the past few days had asked to join the app. Signing up for Tea requires users to take selfies, which the app says are deleted after review. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
