A woman who had been stalked joined a US-only dating-safety app to run background checks and share experiences about men. The app allowed users to flag married men or registered sex offenders, mark red or green flags, run reverse image searches, and share unproven gossip. The app grew rapidly after its 2023 founding, reaching over a million users and topping US charts. In late July the app was hacked, leaking more than 70,000 images including verification IDs and selfies. The leak triggered misogynist harassment campaigns, public maps with 33,000 pins, and exposed users to doxxing and physical danger.
When she finally got back on to the dating scene, she was wary. She decided to sign up for a new app where women could do background checks and share experiences of men they were dating. Users of the US-based Tea Dating Advice app, which is only available in America, could flag if potential partners were married or registered sex offenders. They could run reverse image searches to check against people using fake identities.
In late July, the app was hacked. Over 70,000 images were leaked and posted on the online message board 4chan - including IDs and selfies of users which were meant to have been for verification purposes only and "deleted immediately". The leak was seized on by misogynist groups online, and within hours, several websites had been created to humiliate the women who'd signed up. Two maps were published on social media, showing 33,000 pins spread across the United States.
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