Spill the Tea ☕️🚨

👀 TLDR

In this week’s What’s Appening, we cover the data breach experienced by the Tea app. Yeah, breaches happen all the time, but this one is really putting women’s safety at risk. There have been twists and turns in the story, too. We also have news on how Meta is letting job candidates ‘cheat’ with AI, the reason why VPNs top the UK app stores, and iOS 26 has arrived in public beta. Oh, and be sure to check out Paul’s explainer video on the White House’s AI Action Plan.

🎬 Our Top Take

📱📵 Tea App – Data Breach Exposes “Safe Space for Women”

Data breaches feel all too common now, to the point where we become desensitized to the gravity of them. AT&T, Dell, McDonald’s, and Ticketmaster have all faced serious data breaches this year, about which we shrugged our shoulders and moved on.  But why is everyone suddenly talking about the data breach suffered by the Tea app? And why is the story not going away? Well, for one, the app is designed to be a safe space for women, allowing them to privately converse about their spouses, how to spot red flags, and swap tips on dating and navigating relationships safely. The first data breach exposed the ID photos and selfies that Tea requires from users to verify that they are women, and we don’t need to draw you a picture of how that’s very dangerous coming from a platform where women openly talk about being in – and escaping from – abusive relationships. We say “first” data breach, because mere hours ago, another has been reported, this time leaking the private messages of Tea users. Experts say that women’s personal profiles and identities can be easily established from those messages, once again putting their safety at risk. In a final twist of this story, Tea has rocketed to the top of the app stores, adding vast numbers of new users (up 525%) as the app benefits from the exposure in the media – no such thing as bad publicity, eh? New user revenue is probably a good thing for Tea, because it could – and should – be facing a massive lawsuit. #TeaBreak Read more here.

📲 App of the Week: Pulse of Perseverance (P3)

Pulse of Perseverance (P3) isn’t just an app – it’s a movement changing the game for underrepresented youth. By connecting students with mentors, resources, and scholarships, P3 is breaking down barriers and opening doors. We’ve had the privilege of working side-by-side with the incredible P3 team to bring this vision to life – and keep building on it as their impact grows. Grab the app on iOS or Android, and learn more about the mission at pulseofp3.org.

🧐 Stat of the Week: $36.72T

📈📉 Venmo – New Payment Method Added for National Debt Contributions

One thing that unites Republicans, Democrats, and everyone in between is that the US national debt – $36.72 trillion at the time of writing – is too high. There has long been a program in place, Gifts to Reduce the Public Debt, which allows citizens to pay down the debt. Now, though, the donation platform has added Venmo, which seems to be a tactic to get young people involved. Venmo has been masterful at capturing Gen-Z, with 83% of its 90 million users aged 18-34. Now, let’s just hope they have plenty of spare cash. #DebtPayments Read more here.

🗞️ Other Stories

📍 Meanwhile at 3Advance

The White House has released its long-awaited AI Action Plan, and it’s… a lot to unpack. Paul is here to break it down so you don’t need a Pepe Silvia-style conspiracy board to make sense of it.

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