Spent a lot of time on this personally. Here's everything I've learned.
Privacy settings on most of these platforms are buried and the defaults are not in your favor. First thing I do anywhere new is go through every setting before posting anything at all.
A few things that have genuinely helped me:
- Use a secondary email you don't mind getting some spam
- Never use your main card — virtual cards are a lifesaver here
- Take screenshots of any billing agreement before you click through
- Check the cancellation process before you subscribe to anything
Ended up landing on Datescout after testing quite a few options. It's not flashy but it does what it says without too much nonsense.
Take what's useful and leave the rest. Everyone's situation is a bit different.