A relationship security app that permits ladies to do background checks on males and anonymously share “crimson flag” behaviour has been hacked, exposing 1000’s of members’ pictures, posts and feedback.
Tea Relationship Recommendation, a US-based women-only app with 1.6 million customers, stated there had been “unauthorised entry” to 72,000 pictures submitted by ladies.
Some included pictures of girls holding photograph identification for verification functions, which Tea’s personal privateness coverage guarantees are “deleted instantly” after authentication.
Tea stated the breach affected members who signed up earlier than February 2024. It added it had “acted quick” and was “working with among the most trusted cyber safety consultants”.
The app has just lately skilled a surge in recognition – in addition to criticism from some who declare it’s anti-men.
Tea lets ladies test whether or not potential companions are married or registered intercourse offenders in addition to run reverse picture searches to guard towards “catfishing”, the place individuals use pretend on-line identities.
However probably the most controversial features of Tea is that it permits ladies to share data on males they’ve dated to “keep away from crimson flags” but in addition spotlight these with “inexperienced flag” qualities.
The corporate stated the breached photographs “can under no circumstances be linked to posts inside Tea”.
The agency blocks screenshots in order that posts usually are not shared outdoors the app.
However on Friday it additionally admitted that a further 59,000 pictures from the app displaying posts, feedback and direct messages from over two years in the past have been accessed.
Tea stated: “We’re taking each step to guard this neighborhood – now and at all times.”
BBC Information has contacted Tea for remark.
The corporate was arrange in November 2022 by Sean Prepare dinner, a software program engineer who stated he was impressed to create Tea after witnessing his mom’s on-line relationship experiences.
He advised Medium in Might: “I used to be shocked by how straightforward it was for catfish, scammers and criminals to make the most of ladies on relationship apps and the way little conventional relationship apps do to guard customers.”
Nevertheless, some males – and ladies – have challenged a majority of these teams claiming that they put males vulnerable to invasion of privateness and defamation.
Earlier this 12 months, a person named Nikko D’Ambrosio took authorized motion towards Fb’s proprietor Meta due to numerous statements made about him in a chat group referred to as “Are We Relationship the Identical Man”.
The lawsuit was thrown out by a federal decide in Illinois.
