Your Online Presence

When you mention online dating, there will always be someone who will talk about the dangers of sharing information online. However, there are ways to protect your information while using online dating sites and there are other websites that can put your details at risk.

Here is our guide for using dating websites and other websites without sharing too much information and putting yourself at risk.

Keeping safe on online dating websites

You will need to share some personal details while online dating, such as your likes and dislikes, but you should not share key personal details such as your phone number or address.

We at Muddy Matches won’t allow members to use their full name, share their contact details, or share detailed information about where they work. However, not all websites monitor these details, so it is necessary to ensure that you do not share any information that you wouldn’t share with someone who you have just met at a party.

Online dating websites have messaging services in place so that you do not need to share contact details while you are chatting to one another.

Your social media accounts

Almost 50 percent of British people have a Facebook account and other social media sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin have millions of members in the UK and Ireland as well.

All social media accounts rely on you sharing your personal information, whether that is photos, holiday details, or details of who you are friends with or have worked with.

Most social media accounts allow you to choose who you share your information with, so it’s important to adjust your settings to ensure that private details are only shared with close friends and family.

Job sites

When you are looking for a work, job sites can be a very useful tool, but check through the terms and conditions to see who can view your information and delete anything that doesn’t need to be made public.

Items for sale

Websites like eBay, Gumtree and Freeads are great if you want to get rid of some unwanted items (although we hear that you can’t sell on unwanted exes). They are also a way to give away your personal details such as your address and phone number, so that people can get in contact with you.

If you use these sites, make sure that people can only contact you through the website’s secure messaging service, rather than adding in your phone number or email address.