Part 1/11:

The Wild World of "Tea": A Deep Dive into the Controversial Dating Safety App

Introduction: A Caffeinated Perspective on Modern Dating Tools

In a casual, off-the-cuff monologue, Mudahar, the host known for his sharp commentary, introduces a recent phenomenon sweeping the app stores: a dating safety application called "Tea." With his signature humorous tone, he reflects on the contrasting worlds of coffee versus tea—metaphors for safety and gossip—highlighting how the app has skyrocketed in popularity among women seeking to verify their dates and protect themselves from potential harm.

The Concept Behind "Tea": Gossip Meets Safety

Part 2/11:

At its core, "Tea" operates as a platform exclusively for women, allowing users to share and access potentially revealing information about people they may encounter on dating apps. The app's premise is simple: get verified "green flag" men, check potential red flags, and gather dirt—the tea—on individuals to make informed decisions before meeting up.

What makes "Tea" stand out is its emphasis on transparency and community-driven information sharing. Women can run background checks, verify criminal histories, identify sex offenders, and spot potential catfish—all through the app’s interface. It’s like a social gossip forum, but with a focus on safety, enriched with features like setting alerts for mentions of their partners or dates in their local area.

Part 3/11:

The Reality: Chaos, Vagueness, and Lack of Verification

However, Mudahar quickly uncovers the darker side of the app. Despite its popularity—ranking number one on app stores with nearly five-star ratings—the platform seemingly operates without rigorous verification standards.

According to its terms of service, all user-generated content is "for informational purposes only", with no warranty of accuracy or pre-screening of posts. This lack of vetting opens the floodgates for misinformation, defamation, and malicious falsehoods. Women post unverified accusations or rumors about men, sometimes even involving criminal allegations, with no formal process to dispute or verify these claims.

Part 4/11:

Mudahar points out the paradox—the app aims to protect women but, due to unregulated user inputs, may perpetuate false accusations or even harm personal reputations.

The Dark Side: Doxxing, Privacy Violations, and Serious Security Flaws

The most alarming revelations come from investigating the app’s technical infrastructure. "Tea" reportedly stores user verification data—including names, driver’s licenses, and selfies—in publicly accessible Firebase buckets, which are entirely open without authentication. This means that once this data is uploaded, it can be ** scraped, downloaded, and leaked** easily by anyone with basic technical skills.

Part 5/11:

Indeed, a group of hackers and researchers found a treasure trove of confidential images—driver’s licenses, faces, personal identifiers—floating freely online. This is not a theoretical risk; it’s a proven privacy nightmare. The platform's failure to properly secure this sensitive information could lead to identity theft, stalking, or worse.

Furthermore, user reviews and screenshots reveal the platform's capabilities for detailed background checks, including criminal record searches for public figures like Jeffrey Epstein, making it possible to delve into individuals' private histories for a fee—up to $20 for a private background check.

The App’s Accessibility and Restrictive Features

Part 6/11:

Mudahar narrates his experience with "Tea," noting it restricts screenshot and screen recording functions, ostensibly to prevent data theft—yet, clever users can still record their screens with other devices. During account creation, the app requests a selfie—raising concerns about privacy from the start—as this is supposed to be deleted within 24 hours, but due to the platform’s poor security setup, such data can be easily exposed and misused.

Part 7/11:

He also highlights a concerning incident where "Tea" was hacked by external groups, who used the platform to dox women, revealing their driver's licenses and personal data publicly. This wasn’t a breach by the platform’s authority but a failure in basic security practices, specifically through public Firebase buckets that had no access controls. Researchers demonstrated that anyone could scrape these files, exposing highly identifiable personal information.

Ethical Concerns and Flawed Good Intentions

Part 8/11:

The app was reportedly created with the altruistic goal of protecting women in the dating scene, inspired by stories like a developer’s mother encountering a criminal on a dating platform. The founder, Sean Cook, aimed to provide an easy way for women to vet their potential partners—a noble goal in theory.

But in reality, the implementation is chaotic, reckless, and dangerous. It's essentially a gossip forum in disguise, with little to no verification, leaving users vulnerable to false accusations, libel, and privacy invasions. Mudahar emphasizes the irony—an app meant to safeguard women has become a tool that could violate privacy laws (especially in Europe with GDPR) and cause real harm.

The Broader Context: From "The Dirty" to Modern "Tea"

Part 9/11:

Mudahar contextualizes "Tea" within a historical lineage of reputation-shaming sites like "The Dirty", which allowed users to post unverified, often misogynistic comments about others—highlighting that these phenomena have persisted online for decades. The core issue remains: the lack of moderation, verification, and accountability turns these platforms into hunt-and-destroy tools rather than safety resources.

He reflects on the gendered nature of the platform—if a similar app existed for men to gossip about women, it likely would’ve been taken down swiftly due to violations of platform policies or legal standards, underscoring the bias and hypocrisy embedded in these societal tools.

Conclusion: A Flawed Solution to a Complex Problem

Part 10/11:

While the intention behind "Tea"—to provide a safety net for women in the dating world—is understandable, the execution fails spectacularly. Its open, unregulated community-driven content, combined with poor technical security, creates a public privacy disaster, potentially harming more than it helps.

Mudahar sums it up: It's a well-meaning but messy, reckless, and ethically questionable platform that epitomizes the pitfalls of unregulated user-generated content on the internet. As he points out, the real solution requires better verified, private, and secure methods—not a gossip pond that risks exposing and destroying lives with misinformation and lazily handled data.

Final Thoughts

Part 11/11:

As the dating landscape continues to evolve—often with community-driven tools meant to enhance safety—the importance of verifying information, safeguarding privacy, and upholding legal standards becomes paramount. "Tea" serves as a cautionary tale: technology designed with good intentions can quickly spiral into disaster when oversight and security measures are neglected.