The Tea App Data Breach: What Every Woman Founder Needs to Know About Protecting Her Customers

I wasn't going to write about the Tea breach. There's been lots said about it already. But I do think it's important to see what we can learn from it. So.... let's talk. (My first draft was 5000 words, but I edited it wayyyy down lol.)

What is the Tea App?

The Tea app is a women-only platform originally created as a “safe space” for sharing information about unsafe men and helping women flag potential red-flag behavior in dating and relationships. Users could verify their identities by uploading ID photos and selfies, then exchange private messages, share experiences, and post warnings meant to protect others. Marketed as a tool for women’s safety and empowerment, Tea built its community on trust and the promise of confidentiality.

When a “Safe Space” Becomes Dangerous

The first breach happened when internet users stumbled upon Tea’s completely unsecured database – no password, no encryption, nothing. Tens of thousands of private images, including women’s ID cards and selfies used for verification, were scraped and leaked online. Days later, a second breach was discovered: more than a million private messages between users, containing deeply personal conversations, phone numbers, and meeting locations, were also openly accessible.

These breaches weren’t the work of elite hackers; they were caused by basic security failures. Storing user data without authentication is like leaving a file cabinet full of confidential records in a public hallway. The fallout was swift: users faced risks like identity theft, stalking, and harassment; lawsuits were filed; and the company’s credibility collapsed.

For women founders, this story is personal. We already face uphill battles for funding and credibility. A preventable security disaster on our part can undo years of hard work overnight. The Tea breach isn’t just one company’s misfortune – it’s a wake-up call for anyone building digital products.

What Happened at Tea: A Timeline of Avoidable Mistakes

The First Breach: Tea’s cloud storage was misconfigured and left public. This exposed user verification photos, including government IDs and location data, which were quickly copied and spread online.

The Second Breach: A security researcher found that Tea’s messaging database was also exposed, revealing over a million private direct messages. Many could be linked to real people based on details in the conversations.

Both incidents could have been prevented with basic security measures: access controls and encryption, primarily. These are fundamental practices, not advanced defenses.

Why Did It Happen? The “Unqualified Builder Problem”

Tea’s founder had an idea and very basic coding training with virtually no experience. Reports suggest he relied on a couple of junior freelancers and AI code-generation tools to build the app’s backend. Without experienced oversight, the team launched with dangerous defaults – like leaving cloud databases open to the public.

AI tools can speed up coding, but they often prioritize simplicity over security. Studies have found that many AI-generated code snippets contain vulnerabilities. Without a skilled reviewer, insecure defaults go unnoticed.

Another failure was overpromising. Tea claimed verification photos were deleted immediately, but they were actually stored for years. Whether this was intentional or due to misunderstanding, it broke user trust.

(After the news broke, app downloads did spike, but that was more likely a "post-scandal surge", not long-term engagement or trust.)

The bottom line: Tea’s leadership built a complex, sensitive app on a foundation of unreviewed code, limited experience, and ignored best practices.

Lessons for Founders: Oversight, Not Overreaction

1. You Don’t Need to Code It All Yourself – But You Do Need Oversight.
If you’re non-technical, bring in someone who understands security. This could be a technical co-founder, a consultant, or a fractional CISO.

2. Practice Basic Security Hygiene from Day One.
Security isn’t optional. And it's not just about the code itself. Simple practices include requiring authentication, encrypting sensitive data, securing cloud configurations, keeping software updated, and having an incident plan.

3. Use AI as an Assistant, Not Autopilot.
When using AI to write code, specifically ask for security best practices – and then verify them.

4. Match Your Promises to Reality.
Only make data-handling promises you know you can keep. Verify your technical setup so it aligns with your public statements.

Women Founders: Turning Security into a Strength

Women-led businesses often face more constraints – smaller budgets, smaller networks, and less access to technical expertise – but we also bring unique strengths that can improve security:

• Empathy for users – Thinking about real-world harm drives stronger privacy and protection measures. (I did ask myself whether a woman founder would have been more sensitive to the risks from the start.)

• Willingness to ask for help – Admitting what you don’t know and seeking expert input prevents costly mistakes.

• Security on a budget – Many best practices cost little or nothing to implement, like enabling multifactor authentication or encryption.

• Community support – Women founders often have strong peer networks that can be tapped for security advice and resources.

Actionable Security Checklist for Founders

If you do nothing else, do this:

• Enable two-factor authentication everywhere – for your product and your company accounts.

• Use strong, unique passwords and a password manager.

• Encrypt all sensitive data in storage and in transit.

• Keep all software up to date.

• Have any critical code, especially AI-generated code, reviewed before launch. (There are scanning tools to help.)

• Train your team in basic security awareness.

• Create a one-page incident response plan.

Conclusion: Your Users’ Trust Is Your Most Valuable Asset

The Tea breach shows how quickly trust can be destroyed. Users chose Tea because they believed in its mission; losing their data meant losing their confidence.

Security isn’t mysterious. It’s about planning, following good practices, and having the humility to seek help. As women founders, we’ve tackled bigger challenges. By making security part of our culture, we protect both our users and our reputations.

Ask your team today, “How are we protecting user data?” Start the conversation now – before you ever have to send a breach notification. And lean on your network. We’re stronger when we share what we’ve learned and help each other build safer, more resilient businesses.

A Note for Users

Affected users are those who signed up before February 2024. These are the accounts whose images and DMs were exposed.

Two class actions are filed in California. Both allege negligence, breach of contract, and promises broken. Affected users may be eligible to join and seek damages or structural remedies like data purging.

What You Should Expect to Hear from Tea

Your right to transparency includes the following from Tea:

• Clear information on which categories of your data were affected (selfie, ID, DM).

• Timing of exposure and how long that data was stored.

• Steps they’ve taken since the breach.

• Whether they’ve retained any backups or copies of the exposed data.

• Confirmation of identity protection or credit monitoring made available to impacted users.

• A plan for preventing future breaches, such as data purges, encryption, audits, or third-party security reviews.

Tea has pledged to notify affected users and offer identity protection services. If you don’t receive a notification and you were a user before Feb 2024, consider contacting the company or legal counsel.

What you can do

Change your Tea password (if still accessible) and avoid reusing that password elsewhere. Use a password manager. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on any account that supports it.

Expect phishing attempts—attackers may impersonate Tea or legal/legal notifications. Do not click links or share info unless you verify the sender.

Activate any identity monitoring services provided by Tea. If not offered or you want extra coverage, consider independent services that track the dark web, data dumps, or stolen credentials.

Leaked ID photos may give rise to identity theft. Consider placing a credit freeze or fraud alert with credit bureaus.

If You Fear Stalking or Harassment

Keep a timeline and screenshots or records of any suspicious contacts or posts that include your photo or personal info. This documentation may support legal action or law enforcement involvement.

If you suspect someone is stalking you, has your photo or personal details, or has created a map or site referencing your identity, report it to local police.

Change privacy settings on your social media and review who can access your content.

Inform trusted friends or community members if you’re concerned about your safety.

Seek support and counseling if needed

Exposure of private messages, especially around personal or traumatic topics, can be emotionally devastating. Don’t hesitate to reach out for mental health support from professionals or peer groups.