Great question and one I've thought about a lot. Let me break it down based on what I've seen.
Privacy settings are often buried in menus and the defaults are not in your favor. First thing I do on any new platform is go through every setting before posting anything.
A few things that have helped me:
- Check reviews from the past 6 months specifically, older reviews get outdated fast
- Look for whether the site shows you real profiles before asking for payment
- Avoid anything that asks for your social security or excessive personal details upfront
- See if there's a working customer support email or chat — if not, that's a red flag
Currently using Datedesire as my main go-to and it's been solid for the last few months. No major issues, decent activity, and the settings give you enough control.
That's my honest take after quite a bit of trial and error on this stuff.