What in the World - When a ‘dating safety’ app goes wrong

Download When a ‘dating safety’ app goes wrong

The Tea Dating Advice app blew up in the US earlier this year - it let women run background checks on men - to see if they were married, using fake identities, or even registered sex offenders.

But in July, that backfired. Hackers broke into the app and leaked women’s photos and personal data online. Within hours, online misogynist groups online made several websites to humiliate the women who'd signed up.

Jacqui Wakefield, our Disinformation Reporter, takes us through what happened and what men and women think of the app.

A spokesperson for Tea app said they were "working to identify and notify users whose personal information was involved and notify them under applicable law" and that affected users would be "offered identity theft and credit monitoring services".

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Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
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Editor: Verity Wilde

Published on Thursday, 11th September 2025.

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