There are no secrets on the internet. Just ask the women who entrusted their data to Tea
The latest data breach to hit the headlines is particularly nasty. A popular women-only dating-safety app called Tea lets users compare notes about men to see if they are dating the same person or if anyone has red flags to share. It's a bit like an app version of the popular 'Are we dating the same guy?' Facebook groups. Last Friday, the company behind Tea confirmed it had been breached. Women have to submit a selfie (to 'prove' their gender) in order to use the app; an estimated 72,000 images, including 13,000 verification photos and photos of government IDs, have been leaked online. More than 1m private messages have also been leaked.
This isn't just a run-of-the-mill data breach – it's revenge. It seems users of 4chan, a message board popular with rightwing and misogynistic trolls, were upset by the app and called for a 'hack and leak' campaign. 404 Media reported that the database of stolen images has now been posted on 4chan and X. Someone has reportedly even created a site where men can rate women's selfies exposed in the leaked data.
There are obviously numerous ethical issues with apps such as Tea, or the Facebook groups that allow people to share unverified and potentially defamatory information about men. But there is a reason these digital whisper networks exist: social media companies and dating sites do very little to protect women. According to one survey, 31% of women reported being sexually assaulted or raped by someone they had met through an online dating site. Tea was supposed to be a rare safe space – but now I suspect a lawsuit is brewing.
Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist
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