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Gay Dating 101

How to Protect Your Privacy on Your Favorite Apps

By Chris DeePublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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At this point, it’s hard to believe that using the internet to date, hook up, or cruise was once a complete novelty. These days, online dating is pretty much the default way to connect with other gay hunks when you’re in the mood to mingle, and with good reason. It’s convenient, it’s easy, and it’s fun—a total winning combo.

Even so, a lot of popular apps still leave a lot to be desired in the privacy department, and that’s a problem. It’s not impossible to protect yours though. You just have to know what you’re doing. Here’s how to make sure your personal information and private life stay safe and secure.

Choose the Right Interfaces

Most app developers understand that safety and privacy are major concerns to the average online dater for a couple of reasons. For starters, many platforms operate via a tiered system that includes one or more paid premium memberships. Options that don’t take security seriously could be putting their users’ sensitive financial information at risk. Some sites are more thorough than others when it comes to protecting members as they interact as well.

Make sure your interface of choice makes it easy for you to keep your information and identity under wraps until you decide you’re ready to share. Take GuyHop, for instance. Not only is security a major priority at GuyHop, but the entire platform is packed with features designed to protect each user’s identity. For instance, it’s the only gay dating interface to include a privacy guard for photos. Users can show off everything they have to offer a potential hookup while remaining anonymous.

Give Out Personal Info Sparingly

Most people wouldn’t want total strangers offline knowing where they live, where they work, or what their phone number is. However, many of those same people list information like that, as well as other key pieces of personal information, on their Facebook or other online profiles. They’re also quicker than they should be to give it out to a potential date they literally just met online.

Be sparing with what you tell people about yourself online in general and on dating or hookup apps in particular. Stick to the in-app chat function when you’re still in the “getting to know you” phase of a new connection. You may want to consider getting a dummy email address, and burner phone number to use when you’re ready to communicate outside of the site as well. It’s ultimately up to you when (or if) you share more personal information about yourself, but it’s always a good idea to play it safe at first.

Listen to Your Sixth Sense

Gut feelings are funny things. Have you ever noticed how they so often turn out to be correct, for better or worse? That’s because every human comes equipped with a sixth sense that helps keep them safe in the absence of more tangible evidence that a situation isn’t everything it should be. If you like to use the internet to date or hook up, you’ll also want to get into the habit of trusting your gut.

Maybe you caught someone you’ve been talking to in a lie about who they are or about a key aspect of their life after a quick Googling session. Maybe you really want to chat on the phone or have a Skype call before hooking up in person, and they outright refuse with an urgency that makes you uncomfortable. Maybe they just give you a bad feeling. Whatever the case may be, if something just doesn’t seem right about the person, don’t hesitate to block and ghost. If they’re violating the terms of service for the platform the two of you are using, definitely report them as well.

Play It Safe in Person

So, let’s say you’ve been chatting up a particular hottie, and you’re totally ready to meet him. You’ll still want to play it pretty close to the vest at first. It never hurts to have your initial meeting at a public place, even if you’re just getting together for a quick hookup. This way, you don’t have to choose between giving a stranger your address, and potentially winding up alone in a sticky situation at their place. If you find you still click after some quick conversation and a drink, you can always continue at that point.

You should also always use your own transportation, whether that means driving your own car or keeping your Uber app at the ready. This drastically lowers the likelihood of you winding up stranded someplace without a way to get home.

At the end of the day, online dating is a total blast, and a wonderful way to meet new people, get laid, or whatever else you’re looking to do. However, it’s important to make sure your privacy stays protected at all times. Better safe than sorry.

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