Do you know how to use dating apps without giving too much away? Know how to put yourself out there while maintaining a semblance of privacy? Not many people do which is why I put this guide together. Dave’s Computers in New Jersey are fierce supporters of online privacy and firmly believe we should be able to go about our online business without being tracked, followed or worse.
Dating apps have changed the world as we know it. Every single person I know of uses, or has used a dating app. It’s now regarded as the default way to meet someone new. Love dating apps or loathe them, it is how relationships are begun now.
To use a dating app, you need to provide enough information about yourself to attract someone but not enough to expose your identity online. It’s a fine line to tread but I have some quick tips for maintaining that balance.
Separate your dating app and social media
Most dating apps encourage you to link it to Facebook, Twitter or whatever and some will take data from there and use it on the app. If the app has the option to keep your dating profile and social media separate, use it.
We all share too much on social media and it is the work of minutes to find your name, school, place of work, friends and even your address from social media. If you link a dating app profile to that, it could lead to all sorts of trouble. The same for images, a quick reverse image lookup on your dating profile image could turn up all sorts of things if you use it for Facebook too.
Use a burner phone
Having a dating app on your phone can be a license to track you. It can also expose your phone number or you may end up giving your number to someone who turns out not to be who you thought they were. If this is your main phone and you’re partway through a contract, you have work to do to change your number.
By using a burner, you provide the app no data to use. You can turn off GPS, location and any tracking feature within any social network and the number you give out to potential dates is sanitized. In other words, the number has no links to your real life.
Monitor location tracking
Most dating apps use location as a criteria for showing you potential dates. This is a very useful system but make sure the area it shows you as being in isn’t too small. If you’re in New Jersey like us, showing a square mile will include anything up to 150,000 different people. If you live in rural Iowa or somewhere, that mile could include six people.
Use a setting that doesn’t give too much away wherever possible.
Know that you don’t know who you’re talking to
We can be anyone we like online. You have probably come across those profiles already. Those who say they are in their thirties when they are coming up to retirement or those who say they play sports when they really mean they played sports while in college. While those untruths are mostly harmless, there are those out there who prey on people looking for love.
Always have in the back of your mind that the person you’re talking to could literally be anyone. Don’t give away too much too soon. Dating is supposed to be an evolutionary process that unfolds over time. Take that time and use it to gain trust before exposing your soul.
Dating apps are useful and can be a gateway to love. As long as you can manage your privacy and remain safe, dating apps could be a power for good.
