Be Tech-Savvy to Ensure Safety When Dating Online
The time has come when avoiding technology brings a person more harm than good. Most people know that, so we try to keep up with the ever-evolving technology.
But that’s life. The only constant is change.
Yet, the change can be for the better or for the worse. To help those who aren’t into technology safely cruise the online dating world, we’ll share some tips from tech-savvy singles who know how to stay safe while having fun.
Choosing a Reputable Platform
The foundation of every good online experience, dating included, begins with finding a trustworthy platform. That might make some singles look at the biggest and most famous sites. Straight people are spoiled with choice and gay people simply opt for the biggest brands in online dating world. Yet that’s a mistake.
Why? Because scammers love such sites. They’re like massive hunting grounds for them. And people there lower their guard because they assume bad things can’t happen on such a site. However, experienced online daters know that niche sites are a lot safer because scammers think that it’s pointless for them to try to fool singles on smaller local sites. That shrinks their target market, so they stay away. Yet people get great results there because they are all in the same location and share the same interests.
Gay men in California flock to the local gay dating platform that has proved its worth. Yet most of them don’t even have accounts on big platforms because they got tired of swimming through so many profiles without landing dates.
Controlling the Information You Share
Spreading misinformation is easier than ever. Some people do it for fun. Some do it because of ignorance. Yet, in the era where potential risks are everywhere, even in food, we certainly don’t need any more fake news.
So tech-savvy daters recommend everyone to check the source of the information. Sometimes, trolls start gossip that evolves into a real problem for someone. There have been cases when legit dating sites lost a lot of their members because someone’s ego got hurt, so they decided to share a bunch of lies with everyone online.
Also, everyone should pay attention to the information they consume. Those who stay away from phony news can’t spread them because they aren’t aware of them. The best strategy for that is unfollowing everyone who shares anything potentially fake. Online hygiene depends on controlling what goes into your mind. That prevents you from spreading toxic information.
Utilizing Privacy Settings
This is the most important factor for staying safe while seeking dates online. Safety features and settings are there for a reason, yet some gay and straight singles still don’t use
them.
Secure Browsing Habits
Other than avoiding suspicious sites, using secure and updated browsers is one of the best ways to ensure safety online. Updated browsers notify you when there’s a potential risk or block the site (or download) completely. Also check protocols of the websites you visit to avoid pages without SSL or TLS.
Two-Factor Authentication
Today, everything should have two-factor authentication (2FA). It adds an extra layer of protection and prevents other people from logging in to your accounts. However, 2FA doesn't mean much if someone gets your laptop or phone where you’re logged in permanently and doesn’t use any protection.
So, we recommend enabling 2FA whenever possible, especially on your dating platform.
AND using some (a password is enough; you don’t need to share your biometrics) protection on devices you use 24/7, so random people can’t use them if you lose them.
Virtual Private Networks
Privacy is crucial nowadays, especially in dating. Soon, privacy will be the most valuable thing anyone can have. So it’s good to get used to using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) because it encrypts your internet connection, safeguarding your data from curious eyes.
To simplify, let’s say that a VPN allows you to digitally be in New York while you’re sitting somewhere in Montana. That’s a big deal because hackers have to do more work to find you (you’re giving them false clues by redirecting and hiding your activity). And if the VPN is high level, most hackers won’t even bother with it because many still don’t use any online protection.
Safe Online Payments
Most online dating platforms are garbage without premium features because you’re doomed to browse forever. We get why dating sites do that. They want to keep their premium communities clean, and they need to make money somehow. It’s pointless to avoid paying for premium features. But use a platform that offers secure payment options (usually through a third-party payment processor).
That’s it.
Tech-savviness and staying safe in online dating is not something that require a lot of skill. It’s more about paying attention and using the latest safety features.