The app Tea, which gained popularity as a women-only platform designed for safer communication, experienced a massive data breach that resulted in the exposure of over 72,000 private identities, including selfies and government IDs. Hackers discovered that the app's backend was completely unsecured, allowing easy access to sensitive data. The breach involved 59.3 GB of data, which included verification selfies and numerous private messages. Fresh IDs from 2024 and 2025 were also found, contradicting the company's initial statements about the data being old. Users from the platform are now facing risks of identity theft as their information has been made searchable online. The app, initially a viral sensation with over 4 million users, has been criticized for lax security practices, particularly following reports of relying on generative AI for coding without adequate security measures. Experts warn that such reliance on AI can lead to significant vulnerabilities in apps not rigorously verified by human developers. Users are advised to take precautions, including credit monitoring, to mitigate potential damages.

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