Los Angeles, California — The Tea app, a platform designed to empower women to share experiences about men, has experienced a significant security breach, resulting in the unauthorized release of tens of thousands of personal photos online. The app, which lets users anonymously report on men’s behaviors, has attracted considerable attention and a substantial user base, recently topping the charts as the most popular free app on the Apple App Store.

Company representatives acknowledged the breach on Friday, revealing that approximately 72,000 images were compromised, including around 13,000 verification photos and government-issued IDs. The hack appears to have originated from a database maintained over two years ago, which the company asserts was stored in compliance with legal requirements aimed at combating cyberbullying.

Tea provides a unique service by allowing its users to upload images and search for men by their names, facilitating discussions around safety and potential red flags. Despite its objective, the app has generated backlash from some men, who voiced their displeasure on online forums, including the right-wing site 4Chan. Following the breach, calls emerged on these platforms for retaliatory actions against the app’s users.

In response to the incident, Tea has engaged third-party cybersecurity firms to enhance its system protections. The company emphasized that safeguarding user data is a top priority and is taking all necessary measures to avert future breaches. “We are committed to ensuring the security of our platform and protecting our users’ privacy,” a company spokesperson stated.

The app was created by Sean Cook, motivated by his mother’s negative experiences with online dating, including encounters with deceptive individuals and men with troubling pasts. In addition to sharing information about personal experiences, users can conduct background checks, examine criminal histories, and verify the authenticity of photos to mitigate the risk of being misled.

Despite the surge in its user base—claiming nearly 2 million new signups in recent days—the app has raised concerns about the potential for misuse. While some men are worried about misrepresentation and the risk of doxxing, others, including some app users, fear that the platform could contribute to harmful behavior linked to cyberbullying.

The controversy surrounding the app has spurred discussions about retaliatory initiatives, including the suggestion of a men-only version of the app called Teaborn, which faced immediate backlash for its approach to addressing grievances against the Tea app. That application has since been removed from the App Store.

As the situation develops, many Tea users have taken to social media to express apprehensions regarding their compromised data in light of the recent hack, raising questions about the future of privacy on the platform.