A new survey commissioned by Kaspersky has revealed that a 42percent of people globally are paying more attention to their health and personal safety while dating. Thus, they will prefer to go out on a date with someone who has taken the Covid-19 vaccine or has antibodies.
In an era of self-isolation and restrictions, Kaspersky said the survey explores the role of dating apps and the current state of technology and relationships, explaining that four-in-10 (42%) globally prefer to only meet with someone in person who has antibodies or a vaccine certificate.
“Consumers have generally become more anxious about meeting face-to-face since the start of the pandemic. The number of people who do not meet any of their dating matches offline has more than doubled (from 16% to 35%),” the survey says.
It noted that the events of the global pandemic have significantly changed many daily activities, and dating is no exception, stressing that during enforced self-isolation periods, people spent more time on dating apps and the number of users is growing.
“Demands to see a potential date’s vaccination status is an obvious impact of the pandemic, however, meeting an online date in person appears to generate more concerns than just worrying about getting sick. Overall, 50% of users feel nervous or unsafe (18%) when they meet a date in person for the first time,” it added.
In order to alleviate some of these worries, the majority (72%) of those who use online dating sites and apps want to first talk by phone or video with a date before they agree to meet.
Commenting on the survey report, David Jacoby, a security researcher at Kaspersky argued: “With all the stay-at-home policies and restrictions around the world, online dating seems to play a major role in people’s lives today. Still, the transition from ‘online’ to ‘offline’ is a leap of faith for many: there isn’t only the healthcare situation to consider, but also more evergreen risks of meeting with a stranger. In order to continue enjoying online and offline dates in confidence, it’s important to be mindful of the data you share with your potential date — so that if you change your mind about meeting someone, you are always in control of the situation, know how much information you’ve shared about yourself, and how it can be used.”
David Jacoby believes that humans are social creatures, who need companionship, exchange and closeness, even physical closeness.
Meanwhile, Kaspersky has shared a few simple tips to help people keep their personal data private while dating online:
- Share photos that don’t give away information such as your address or employer, for example. Instead use photos from trips or landmarks, with no personal data or other people shown.
- Use the built-in messenger function of dating platforms instead of sharing your phone number or other messaging apps. If you decide to move to another messenger, don’t forget to set it up to keep your data private and secure.
- Use an effective security solution that offers advanced protection across multiple devices. Kaspersky Security Cloud can help manage your apps and remove permissions where this is not necessary.
