this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2025
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Users from 4chan claim to have discovered an exposed database hosted on Google’s mobile app development platform, Firebase, belonging to the newly popular women’s dating safety app Tea. Users say they are rifling through peoples’ personal data and selfies uploaded to the app, and then posting that data online, according to screenshots, 4chan posts, and code reviewed by 404 Media.

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[–] DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz 43 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

I'm all for groups of safe spaces for women. Especially when it's designed to keep them safe while dating. I have my doubts that Tea was that. Even if it was advertised as such, "tea" is slang for the word gossip. I've heard stories from several sources that it was used to dox people as well. Not saying what happened to the users is right. I think some users here are just feeling smug that this might cause the app to fail or shut down.

[–] zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 10 points 14 hours ago

Yeah, naming it "Tea" is really the cherry on top. I'd love to know more about the people behind this. It's hard to believe that anybody would be this oblivious. I guess the same kind of people who wouldn't secure their database.

[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago) (1 children)

The app enables the photos to be run through a reverse image search, enabling them to run a basic background check, check against public sex offender databases, and check for photos that might get flagged as being used in “catfishing” — misrepresenting one’s identity online.

The app also features a “Tea Party Group Chat,” which allows users to directly share information about men, and has a rating function, which allows users to share their experiences with Yelp-style reviews, awarding men a “green flag” or a “red flag.”

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/25/us/tea-app-dating-privacy-cec

It's a bit like Rate My Professor, but for dating.

Honestly I cyncially expect this kind of app might inevitably exist for rating people of all genders (or that dating apps might incorporate this Uber-style rating system), but the reason this app exists has directly to do with the violence women face from intimate partners.

The point is that men who are enjoying the doxxing of women who have used this app are ignoring the context, or even have a warped sense of the context, as if this is narrowly about (legitimate) privacy concerns and the harms caused by the app.

Even if the concerns about the app are justified, the revenge enjoyment betrays a view much harder to defend, that all the women who used the app are equally cupable, or that doxxing women using the app is equivalent to women doxxing abusive men through the app.

Men are not all equally privileged, but there is a broad inequality both to how violence is distributed and how that plays out in dating situations. Women are not wrong to fear men. One in three women have experienced sexual or physical violence, most of that violence being perpetuated by men.

Since this is the context for the use of this app, it's not neutral to doxx its users or to claim it's fair because men feel (legitimate) concerns about the app's privacy violations.

[–] DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz 16 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

I agree 100% that women face many more dangers especially in the dating scene than men. I'm all for having resources available for them to remain as safe as possible.

I don't see how a Rate My Professor type app would work well for dates. I feel like people would only spend the time to rate poor dates. If you had a really good date with someone, you would presumably start dating them so why would you let everyone else know they are a good person to go out with? I have no doubt there are some awful people out there that others should be warned about, but this type of app is a bit too risky to justify that in my opinion.

The background check feature sounds much more legit, but I don't think a group chat feature needs to exist along side it.

All that being said, anyone enjoying the doxxing of others is just an asshole. There's definitely nothing fair about it from either side.

[–] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 hours ago

Sure does sound pretty toxic.

[–] Squirrelanna@lemmynsfw.com 1 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Could you share said sources? It's irrelevant though because justifying this doxxing SHOULD mean that the entirety of 4chan is a justifiable dox target. If you don't believe that, then you should be against it happening against Tea users. They're at the very least guilty of the same thing (in this case. 4chan is guilty of much more heinous things than just this).

[–] DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz 4 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

I 100% agree that it isn't relevant to the doxxing. I dont think the doxxing is warranted at all from either side. Most of what I saw about the app is just from various social media users as well as the Google PlayStore reviews. Personally I find it hard to believe the app wasn't made with the purpose to dox people just based on the name alone. The ads make it seem like a safespace for women and if that's all it was meant to be then it for sure had a very unfortunate name.

[–] zarkanian@sh.itjust.works 0 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (1 children)

What does the name have to do with doxing? I know "tea" is slang for "gossip", but gossip ain't doxing.

[–] DrSteveBrule@mander.xyz 8 points 14 hours ago

A group of people with the intention of privately sharing details of people in order to track their behavior is definitely going to lead to doxxing. Maybe I'm getting the wrong idea, but it sounds like they are sharing the names of people they went on dates with. I assume that would include the city or town the date occurred which would infer where abouts they live. Given enough "reviews" of a single person I'm sure there would be sufficient info to call it doxxing.