Safety

Meeting new people is great when you feel safe. These tips come from people who have been part of this world for years: following them costs nothing and protects you and the people you meet.

Before meeting

• Take your time in chat. Talk about expectations, boundaries and rules before you meet. People in a hurry to skip this step are often not the right ones.
• Have a video call. It is the simplest way to check the person is who they say and that the photos are theirs.
• Check the profile. Profiles without photos, just created, with vague answers or pushing straight to other contacts deserve attention.
• Never send money. No decent person will ask you for money, top-ups or gifts before or after a meeting. If it happens, report them.

The first meeting

• Choose a public place: a bar, an aperitivo, a venue. Only later, if everyone feels at ease, decide whether to go further.
• Tell someone you trust where you will be and when, and text them when you are fine.
• Arrive and leave on your own, with your own transport.
• Drink in moderation and never leave your glass unattended.
• Consent can be withdrawn at any time, even halfway. For everyone, always.

Health

• Use condoms and talk openly about protection and tests before meeting.
• Get regular checks for sexually transmitted infections: many public health centres offer them for free and anonymously.

Privacy

• You can hide your face in photos and keep the most personal ones private, showing them only to people you choose.
• View-once photos and videos in chat disappear after they are first opened.
• Do not share your home address, workplace or surname until you really trust someone.
• On the map your exact position never leaves your phone: others only see an area.

If something goes wrong

• Use Report and Block on the profile or in the chat: moderators act and the reported person does not know who reported them.
• If you feel in danger call 112, the European emergency number.
• In Italy, for violence or stalking you can call 1522, the free anti-violence and stalking line, open day and night.
• For anything else write to [email protected].