Tea App: The Internet world gives birth to new stories every day. If an app suddenly falls into the headlines, then one mistake becomes a victim of infamy. These days, one such app is in discussion. This app was specially designed for women, so that they could feel safe in the world of online dating. But recently a shocking incident related to this app came to light, when pictures of 72 thousand women were leaked. This news not only shook the technology world, but also raised questions on the safety and trust of millions of women who shared their information on this app. Let’s know the story of the T app, its purpose and the truth behind this data leak.
Start of T app: Security shield for women
The Tea app, whose full name is TEA Dating Advice, was created by American software engineer Sean Cook in 2022. Its inspiration from his mother, who faced deception and catfishing during online dating. Sean noticed that many women like her mother were falling victim to fake identity, people with criminal records and emotional fraud on dating platforms.
This was the reason that Sean created a platform that makes women strong and safe in dating. On this app, women could rate men by giving men to red flag (threat sign) or green flag (safe signal). Along with this, the app had many features –
• Background check: information about a male’s marital status and criminal record.
• Reverse image search: To detect the truth and catfishing of the man’s picture.
• Unnamed comment: give opinion about men without revealing identity.
• T Party Group Chat: Shared Dialogues and Experiences Experiences of Women.
The tagline of the app was – “To empower women in the world of dating.” By July 2025, it had more than 46 lakh active users and became the most downloaded free app on the Apple App Store. But in the meantime, an incident eclipsed this popularity.
How did 72 thousand photos leaked?
The security of the T app got into a dent in the security of T App on 25 July 2025. Hackers targeted the old data storage system of the app and stole 72,000 photos. Of these –
• 13,000 photographs were selfie and government identity card (eg driving license) uploaded for identification verification by users.
• 59,000 photos were related to the app post, comment and direct messages.
The shocking thing was that the T app claimed in its privacy policy that the photos uploaded for identity verification are immediately deleted. But this leak proves that the app stored the old data and was extremely insecure. This data was from users before 2024, when the security system of the app was relatively weak.
Hackers leaked this data on the notorious online forum called 4chan, which is considered one of the dark streets of the Internet. Some people made a map based on leaked data on Google Map, which showed a possible location of users. Names and addresses may not be, but it became a serious threat to women’s safety.
T app criticism and controversy
The features of the T app were as unique, the dispute was equally big. Many men called it anti-male. He said that without concrete evidence, any woman could tarnish his image by giving a red flag to a man.
It was described as a source of cyberbuling and doxing on social media and redit. In response to this, some people created an app for men named Teaborn, but due to the content made from a sense of revenge, he was removed from the app store.
Results and danger of data leaks
This leak deeply shocked the credibility of the T app.
• Women increased the risk of stocking and identity theft.
• Confidential selfie and identity cards reach the wrong hands, there is a risk of bank fraud or blackmail.
• According to cybercharity experts, it is extremely risky to connect the username with real identity and location.
The criticism and debate of the app on social media intensified. Many users lost confidence, while some still appreciated its noble purpose.
Cleaning and future challenge of the company
The T app issued a statement saying that –
1. This leak is limited to users who sign up before 2024 only.
2. Email and phone numbers are safe.
3. The help of third-party cybercharity experts is being taken to strengthen the system.
However, the question is whether this cleanliness will be able to get back confidence? And will users be comfortable in sharing their personal information in future?
Lessons and conclusions
This incident of T app gives us three big lessons –
1. No app is completely safe.
2. Share your personal information thoughtfully.
3. Do not depend completely on dating apps, your understanding and vigilance is most important.
This phenomenon reminds that there is always a need for vigilance and strong security behind the glossy world of the Internet. The T app showed a new path by giving women a platform, but the data leak raised serious questions on her credibility. Now it has to be seen whether this app will be able to win back or this incident will remain a warning for the online dating world.
