The women-only dating safety app Tea experienced a significant data breach after hackers identified that its backend database was unsecured. Over 72,000 private images, including verification selfies and government IDs, were leaked online, as well as private messages, amounting to 59.3 GB of data. The breach involved sensitive information dating as recently as 2024 and 2025, contradicting claims that only older data was compromised. Tea had attracted over 4 million users with its promise to create a safe space for women, where they could discuss men anonymously. However, the incident has caused a massive fallout, with leaked information becoming searchable across decentralized platforms. Critics have pointed to the use of 'vibe coding,' where developers rely on AI-generated code without proper security measures, as a possible cause for the breach. The company has attributed the data collection practices to legal compliance related to cyberbullying prevention, but the fallout from this incident raises serious concerns about data security, particularly for apps designed to keep users safe. Users are now advised to consider credit monitoring to mitigate potential identity theft issues.

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