A nightmare scenario unfolded this week. The very app designed to protect women became their digital betrayer. Tea, the women’s dating safety platform, watched helplessly as 4chan users ransacked its exposed database. Private selfies scattered across the internet like digital confetti.

“Yes, if you sent Tea App your face and drivers license, they doxxed you publicly!” screamed a 4chan post that sent shockwaves through the platform. The anonymous user’s excitement was palpable. “DRIVERS LICENSES AND FACE PICS! GET THE F**K IN HERE BEFORE THEY SHUT IT DOWN!” This wasn’t just a data breach. This was a feeding frenzy.

Anonymous Users Expose Thousands of Driver’s Licenses and Selfies From Popular Dating App Tea

The exposed Firebase database became an all-you-can-download buffet for bad actors. No authentication protected the treasure trove. No barriers stood guard. 4chan users dove in like vultures, creating automated scripts to harvest personal information. They downloaded thousands of images. Driver’s licenses displayed in full view. Intimate selfies shared like trading cards.

Tea’s verification system backfired spectacularly. The app required women to upload selfies and ID photos to prove their gender. These security measures became weapons against the very users they promised to protect. The platform’s 1.6 million users trusted Tea with their most sensitive documents. That trust shattered when screenshots of redacted driver’s licenses flooded 4chan threads.

The breach exposed 72,000 images spanning two years of user data. Among them: 13,000 selfies and photo IDs that users submitted for verification. Another 59,000 images from app posts and direct messages joined the leak. 404 Media confirmed the database’s authenticity by decompiling Tea’s Android app code. The storage bucket URL matched exactly what 4chan users were exploiting.

Tea scrambled to contain the digital wildfire after the exposure gained momentum. The company acknowledged “unauthorized access to one of our systems” and launched a full investigation. They claimed the compromised data was over two years old, stored for law enforcement compliance regarding cyber-bullying prevention. But for victims whose faces now circulate on anonymous forums, the age of the data offers little comfort. The platform that promised to keep women safe from dangerous men instead delivered them directly into the hands of online predators.

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With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry, Aarciah Thouman delivers insightful and engaging content on the latest trends and developments. From breaking news and exclusive interviews to in-depth analyses and thought-provoking features, he provides readers with a comprehensive view of the ever-changing world of entertainment.

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