Meeting new people online is part of our social life nowadays. This possibility offers many advantages like the opportunity to meet people from all over the world without leaving home. However, meeting people on the internet carries several dangers that we should avoid. It is really important to be responsible and focus on the benefits of meeting friends online.

To avoid any troubles it is key to take care of your security and privacy from the very beginning. Below I’m sharing with you a few ideas on how to establish secure friendships via the internet!

  1. Never share your sensitive data on social networks.

It is necessary to provide your real data on social media platforms. However, that means a name, surname, age, or photo. When it comes to your address, bank account or credit card details or passwords to social media platforms, never publish it or share with anyone in the text message, You can never be 100% sure that the person on the other side will not use this data for their own benefit.

  1. Check the credibility of a person on other social networking sites.

When you meet people on one of the social networking platforms, you can easily check their account history on the other websites. That way you can check that the information they gave you is accurate. Checking their friends’ comments, youth photos, or live relations you can make yourself sure that the people are who they say they are.

  1.  If the person you are writing with behaves suspiciously, cut off contact immediately.

If you have met a person through the Internet who starts offending you, keep asking about sensitive data, or you are not sure of the person’s credibility, don’t waste your time and block such a user. There are a lot of other people who just like you want to meet new friends.

  1. Choose a public place for the first meeting.

If you have decided to meet, make an appointment in a public place where you will feel safe. Additionally, it is a good idea to share your location from the phone with a relative or best friend who will be your guardian angel and will be ready to help you in case of an emergency.

  1. If you experienced any rude behavior from one of the users, don’t hesitate to report it!

If you have been offended or cheated by someone, always report it to the platform’s service staff. If someone has broken your rights, do not be afraid to report it to the police, this way you can protect other users from experiencing similar situations!

  1. Don’t click on untypical links.

If a newly met person sends you a strange-looking link, never click on it. There’s a risk of a hidden virus! It is important that you carefully check each link received in this way and if you are not sure you can check the given page in your Google search engine. Of course, not every link is dangerous, but it’s always better to be careful.

  1. Check the privacy policy of the social networking site you are using.

Many social networking sites require entering a phone number during the registration process to avoid accepting fake users. Some of them put a lot of attention on censorship, or allow only users who have reached the age of 16 or 18. Check what rules are in force on the platform you are using, so you will know how to follow them, and also know when you should report another user.