Tea said an initial breach exposed about 72,000 images, including verification selfies and images containing photo IDs. The company later acknowledged that some direct messages were also accessed. Those are distinct disclosures: Tea’s stated cutoff for the image data was users who signed up before February 2024, while a researcher’s message findings reported by TechCrunch covered messages dated from early 2023 through the week of discovery.
What data did the Tea app leak?
Tea told the Associated Press that unauthorized access involved approximately 72,000 images. The company divided that total into two categories:
- About 13,000 verification images: selfies or images containing a selfie and photo identification that users had submitted for account verification.
- About 59,000 in-app images: images from posts, comments, and direct messages.
Tea said the image incident involved legacy data from before February 2024 and affected users who signed up before that month. These are Tea’s stated scope and cutoff, not the results of an independent audit. The company also told AP that email addresses and phone numbers were not accessed in this image incident. AP’s initial report describes the company’s disclosure.
The counts refer to images, not people. The reporting does not establish that every image was downloaded or published, or how many individual users were affected.
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Were private messages exposed?
Yes, Tea later acknowledged that some direct messages were accessed in the incident. At that point, the company told AP it did not know how many messages were involved and said it had taken the affected system offline. AP’s follow-up reports that update.
Separately, TechCrunch reported that independent security researcher Kasra Rahjerdi found more than 1.1 million messages dated from early 2023 through the week of discovery. TechCrunch also reported that Tea temporarily disabled direct messages. The 1.1 million figure is a count of messages reported by the researcher, not a count of affected users; it should not be treated as the number of messages downloaded, publicly posted, or linked to unique people. TechCrunch’s report covers those findings.
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How the image and message disclosures differ
| Data set | What was reported | Time window | Source and qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Images | About 13,000 verification images and about 59,000 images from posts, comments, and DMs | Tea said the legacy image data was from before February 2024 and the incident affected signups before that cutoff | Tea’s initial scope statement, reported by AP; not an independent audit |
| Direct messages | Tea acknowledged some access; a researcher was reported to have found more than 1.1 million messages | The researcher’s reported messages dated from early 2023 through the week of discovery | Tea’s acknowledgment and separate reporting by TechCrunch about the researcher’s findings; the count is messages, not users |
Tea’s July 26 statement described a legacy storage dataset from before February 2024. The company also said it removed its ID requirement in 2023, after initially requiring selfies and IDs as a safety measure. Simon Willison reproduced Tea’s statement; those details are the company’s account, not an independent technical assessment.
What Tea said it did for affected users
Tea said it would identify users whose information was involved and offer them free identity-protection services. It also said at the time that it had found no evidence of access to other parts of its environment. Those are statements about the company’s response and findings at that point, not proof that all other data was definitively untouched. See AP’s follow-up.
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If you used Tea and are concerned, check communications from the company for an indication that it identified your information as involved. Because the reports do not establish a verified total of affected people, the image and message counts alone cannot confirm whether a specific account was affected.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What users can do now
- Be alert for targeted contact. Information or images shared in an app can make impersonation or manipulative messages more convincing. Treat unexpected requests for money, login codes, or sensitive details cautiously.
- Review account security. If you reused a password on Tea or another service, change it on every account where it was reused and use a unique password going forward. Enable multifactor authentication where available.
- Watch for identity misuse if you shared ID images. Follow any instructions Tea sends to users it identifies as affected, and contact relevant financial institutions or authorities if you see suspicious activity tied to your identity.
Identity-verification executive Mary Ann Miller told AP that companies should consider verification methods besides IDs and securely discard verification data when it is no longer needed. That is her advice, not a legal requirement. AP’s follow-up includes her comments.
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