When women sign up for dating apps designed to protect them, they’re placing a deep trust in the platforms that claim to prioritize their safety. But that trust was shattered when the Tea app—a platform created specifically to help women vet potential dates—was found to have leaked over 72,000 private images, including more than 13,000 sensitive ID selfies.

According to verified reports, these images came from a legacy database that was never properly secured or deleted, even though the app had claimed not to store users’ IDs. Many of the affected users believed their data had long been erased. Instead, it was left exposed, vulnerable to hackers, and ultimately dumped online. This is not just a technical failure—it’s a violation of personal safety, dignity, and consent.

Apps like Tea ask women to submit intimate details and photos under the promise of creating a safer dating environment. But promises are not enough. Without strict safeguards and clear accountability, these platforms can become dangerous places where private data is exploited rather than protected. 

We are calling on lawmakers, tech regulators, and app stores to take urgent action:

• Require dating apps to delete sensitive data after verification and ban the long-term storage of ID selfies.
• Enforce transparency from developers about what data is collected and where it’s stored.
• Hold platforms legally accountable when preventable breaches like this occur.

Women deserve safe tools to navigate online dating—but that safety must include digital privacy, not just physical protection. No one should have to choose between being safe from a bad date and safe from a data leak. 

This breach has already caused irreparable harm. Let’s make sure it doesn’t happen again. Stand with the women affected by the Tea app breach and demand stronger protections for everyone who uses digital platforms to stay safe.