The Next Big Thing in Online Dating Security

Whether you’re seeking a serious relationship or just looking for a little fun, being safe in the online dating game needs to become your priority. As online dating is becoming increasingly popular and mainstream today, 2020 calls for a shift in perspective and thinking when it comes to online dating security.

It’s only sensible that as dating, in itself, has changed and evolved to a point that the line between online and “in real life” dating has blurred, our online safety has implications in the real world, too. So, how do you protect yourself while looking for love in cyberspace? Here’s our rundown of the next big thing in online dating security.

Secure Your Identity Heart Online

When we’re looking for love online, we’re putting ourselves out there. No matter how guarded a person you are, you’re allowing a part of yourself to be vulnerable when dating. It’s just the way we’re wired. This isn’t particularly a negative thing, but it is something that we need to be aware of when using online dating apps and services.

First thing’s first – keep your contact information private while using online dating apps and services. This is, without a doubt, the number one tip for dating safely online. Ensuring that you don’t allow any identifying information on your dating profile is a preventative measure to keep stalkers and other dangerous characters from knowing too much about you and your life.

So, when setting up your dating app or social media accounts, have a look at the privacy options and ensure that you’ve opted for the highest security levels that the platform offers. If the platform doesn’t allow important details like your phone number, email address, and the like from being hidden from other users, then it’s best to find a platform that does.

Keeping Your Phone and Info Safe

Your mobile phone is, probably, the most precious thing in your life. Of course, you’ve got your loved ones and your most treasured sentimental items, but we know how much your cellphone means to you – if you’re American, you’re checking your phone about 96 times a day.

There’s more to it than that, though. Remember, because you do almost everything from your phone, including dating, banking, and shopping, there’s a lot of personal, sensitive information that you store on that phone of yours. While swiping on your favorite online app, your information may appear safe but might not always be. In fact, Tinder has been victim of a data breach where some 70,000 photos of only female users of the app were leaked online.

If a massive platform like Tinder have become targets to hackers, then how safe are you online, really? Well, the bigger these platforms are, the more data they’ve collected, making them all the sweeter a target for potential hackers and scammers. If you’re a user of the platform, you might want to check out what kind of data Tinder.com collects about you and consider deleting your account and having your information removed from their database.

Every Cloud Has a Secure Lining

It’s not all dark clouds for you and your potential relationships born online! With both organizations and individuals using the cloud to store data, they’ve been making great strides in keeping security tight. Yes, sometimes breaches do happen, but the big online dating platforms (this includes social media platforms) are virtualizing firewalls, intrusion detection, security hardware, and prevention systems. This means that while you’re doing your part to keep secure while looking for love online, the platforms that you use are doing their part, too.

All you’ve got to do is do a little research into the platform that you intend to use before you sign up and register. Make sure that they’re a reputable one that takes online security seriously before handing over your information to them.

Encryption – A Step Up in Online Security

You might have heard of encryption when opening up a WhatsApp chat window, for example. But what is data encryption? Basically, data (like your messages and photos in a chat) is translated into a cryptic form so that anyone who hacks into the system can’t simply understand what’s going on. This means that only one who has access to a secret key – or password – can read or understand the encrypted data. Simply put, if your messaging platform is encrypted, this decreases the chances of hackers to understand what you’re sending back and forth with your potential bae. It also means that any personal information that you’ve shared with that person is far less likely to be picked up by shady characters who trawl the online world for the data of others.

Again, it’s important to make sure that the messaging or video calling platform that you’re using to get to know your online date better really is secure and encrypted. You might have reached that level in your online relationship where you’re comfortable with sharing some of your secrets with your date, but are you comfortable with strangers being privy to that information about you? This is the kind of awareness that we need in 2020 while dating online. It’s necessary and needs to become second-nature to every one of us.

Video Chatting – Fun and Secure

Okay, so while social distancing, self-isolation and quarantining has been going globally with the coronavirus running rampant, video chatting might be your only option right now. Don’t look at this as a bad thing – it helps build trust, therefore upping your online dating security! With Skype, FaceTime, Zoom, and Google Hangouts available, you can easily move your relationship from text to face-to-face over video.

Yes, it keeps Covid-19 from spreading, but also helps you to feel more secure in knowing that the person on the other end of the line matches their photos. Remember, catfishing is a real thing and has happened to more people than you might think. For some, it’s just embarrassing if they’ve “fallen” for someone who pretended to be someone else. For others, however, it means that they’ve lost their dignity and a whole lot more.