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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[–] VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world 5 points 9 hours ago (5 children)

I don't quite understand the outrage in the thread. I've been looking through the comments, trying to see if this ever went beyond gossip and I can't find anything.

From my understanding the app was intended to be a safe space for women to discuss dating. Relaying information about dangerous individuals, or people who cheat. I can imagine that things might have gotten slightly out of hand in regards to anonymous gossip, but is that anything compared to being doxxed? Besides, women, and men have been gossiping behind each others backs for as long as humans have existed. An anonymous app makes it significantly worse certainly, but it is what it is. This behavior is always going to exist for better or for worse. For example, people already discuss this on sites like fetlife since the risk of ending up with someone who wants to batter you for the sake of battering you is somewhat high there.

Surely we can have some sympathy for people who have had their identifications doxxed by 4chan who haven't done anything worse than a bit of toxic gossip at most?

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[–] Bronzebeard@lemmy.zip 14 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

I had been under the impression that 4chan had also basically died due to their own site getting hacked

[–] Noturbuddy@lemmy.zip 23 points 12 hours ago

That which has no life can never truly die (or something)

[–] RickyRigatoni@retrolemmy.com 15 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

the site got hacked and most of the admins were revealed to have .gov emails but everyone pretty much already expected that so nobody actually cared and it's back to business as usual

Oh my god that's... So stupid, i hate this time line.

Dirty water that would behave no different if you sifted out the proteins.

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[–] gnu@lemmy.zip 128 points 1 day ago (2 children)

People sign up to app intended to share personal information about others without their permission, end up having their own personal information shared without permission - the irony is impressive.

[–] Zomg@piefed.world 12 points 10 hours ago (4 children)

I think it depends on people's intent and purpose for using this service. I'm overall not a fan of someone taking and sharing pictures of me without my consent, or making claims that can't be defended...

The group of women legitimately using it for safety is fine, in a general sense.

The group of women using it as gossip and entertainment is not.

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[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 87 points 1 day ago (1 children)

At first I was going to call bullshit because I thought you were exaggerating and being ridiculous.

Nope. That's the app. "Anonymous" sharing of pictures and info of other people. Presumably without their permission. That's fucked up.

[–] blarghly@lemmy.world 36 points 22 hours ago (9 children)

Yeah. I mean, I get it. The concept of the app makes sense. And I would be that, on average, it is/would be used for good.

On the other hand, as a guy, the idea that people are out there sharing reviews of me as a person on the open internet, and I have no way of knowing this, is deeply unsettling. Like, I haven't done anything wrong - just the whole concept feels very gross.

[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago

My problem is how it's implemented.

An app where you simply post a name and a location, and then people can DM you with their experiences directly, would be a lot less invasive.

[–] Donkter@lemmy.world 26 points 14 hours ago

Especially because the app is called "tea", like the slang term for gossip. The letter of the intention may have been good but the whole thing is toxic.

[–] InFerNo@lemmy.ml 8 points 15 hours ago

You could ask someone you know to register and share the login, it's a flawed concept. There's probably a bunch of partners in there who didn't even know their boyfriend used their info to create an account to check on themselves.

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[–] Longmactoppedup@aussie.zone 66 points 23 hours ago (5 children)

Maybe I'm just getting old, but the idea of "verifying" my real identity to a faceless website or mobile app is abhorrent.

I guess it doesn't help that governments in some countries (UK, Australia that I know of) are encouraging this bullshit with Trojan horse laws claiming to protect children from adult websites / social media.

Can't help but think there is also an element of pot meet kettle here, when users of an app designed to dox and slander people without their knowledge are now the ones getting doxxed themselves.

[–] kalpol@lemmy.ca 7 points 13 hours ago (2 children)

California, Utah, Texas all have laws now requiring age verification to use an app store

[–] ftbd@feddit.org 5 points 11 hours ago

I'd be interested to know how that works with F-Droid or Aurora.

[–] givesomefucks@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours ago

If you think that's the same thing, you don't understand at least on of those things, but safe money is both...

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[–] ChickenAndRice@sh.itjust.works 38 points 23 hours ago
[–] SaltySalamander@fedia.io 42 points 23 hours ago (7 children)

No sympathy from me whatsoever. The app was designed to allow these women to anonymously post personal information about other people. Fuck 'em. Turnabout is fair play. As my kindergarten teacher used to say, "you get what you get and you don't pitch a fit".

[–] wizbiz@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 9 hours ago

How dare they warn other women about rapists.

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