One of the most common questions asked about AdultFriendFinder is understandable: Is AFF safe to use? Just one look at the dating site is enough to sound those alarm bells — the dated interface and design and the sheer volume of adult content. Prospective daters are right to question its legitimacy.
To better understand the risks of using AdultFriendFinder, we consulted Anna Larkina, Web Data and Privacy Analysis Expert at Kaspersky, one of the world's leading cybersecurity services, about the kinds of threats that users might face and how to mitigate the risks.
Understanding the risks of online dating
First off, understand that there is a risk inherent to using any online service, and that even the most reputable websites have experienced major hacks or exploits. “Users should remember that any service can potentially encounter various cybersecurity issues,” Larkina told us, including “data leaks, attacks on third party contractors, or issues related to the human factor.”
But the risks are undoubtedly higher for some websites than others. For example, with a typical merchant website, you’re only providing them with your credit card information, but on a dating site, you’re potentially providing your credit card details and crucial personal information, from your date of birth to your phone number, information that can prove very valuable to scammers.
While this is a risk you take with any dating service, AdultFriendFinder is perhaps more vulnerable than most dating sites because of the nature of its content and user base, so it’s important to understand the potential issues.
What risks are specific to AdultFriendFinder?
The “adult content” angle
While there is absolutely no obligation for AFF users to share nude photos of themselves, or get naked on a webcam feed, many, many people opt to do so, and while we have no objection from a moral perspective — let your freak flag fly high and proud — it’s important that you know you risk more than an awkward conversation with coworkers and family members who stumble across your account.
Unfortunately, bad actors can exploit and use your own personal information against you.
“Data from services with adult content or dating services can be especially sensitive for users, because it’s more personal,” warns Larkina. “If fraudsters somehow obtain such private data, they can use it for more ‘efficient’ blackmailing or targeted phishing.” Needless to say, you should be wary of how you use the site and what information you share, especially if you have a public-facing job.
AFF security breaches
While dating sites invest heavily in cybersecurity protections, online threats are constant and ever-evolving. Hackers who are eager to discover treasure troves of personal and financial information will often target online dating platforms — they can be easy pickings.
AdultFriendFinder has suffered two major security breaches, which is actually a pretty stellar record of security over its entire 30-year history. In 2016, hackers gained access to the personal information of four million AFF users before the breach was found and stopped. And a larger breach occurred in 2016, impacting some 300 million AFF accounts, including 15 million accounts that had been officially deleted by the user but whose data had not been properly expunged from the AFF servers.
Phishing scams
Another common hacking technique — and one particularly effective on dating websites — is phishing, which is when a bad actor assumes a false identity to gain your trust and deceive you into revealing compromising or sensitive information. It's easy to do on dating sites because, by their very nature, people sign up to specifically to search people out and make connections. Scammers can pose as attractive persons, telling users exactly what they want to hear and luring them into the scam.
To combat phishing, AFF offers the ability to verify identities with government-issued identification. This verification process is still an optional extra — it's not mandatory when setting up an account. We recommended doing it though, and setting a search filter to verified accounts only. It's a surefire way to protect yourself against bad actors.
Can your AFF account be found?
While the private information you give AFF (your real name and email address, for example) isn't public-facing, AFF’s dating profiles are public by default, so if you include a picture of your face (as many accounts do), you can be recognized by friends, co-workers, and family members.
And as AFF has suffered two major hacks before, there’s always an outside chance of it happening again, which could result in your email address and information landing in a dodgy database.
How to protect your online identity when using AdultFriendFinder
Does this all mean you should never use AdultFriendFinder, or any dating site? Absolutely not. We're here to help you protect yourself and stay vigilant, not to discourage you from signing up.
Larkina has shared an additional list of best practices to help you mitigate risks while having fun on AFF or any other dating site:
Don’t use a professional email address to sign up for a dating site. If you’re especially nervous, consider creating a new email address just for the purposes of signing up.
To protect your accounts, use strong and unique passwords, change them regularly, and if possible, enable two factor authentication
Be extremely cautious with what you share with strangers, especially when it comes to sensitive information or intimate photos. “Always assess reputational and other risks before posting or sending anything,” cautions Larkina.
When using AFF in particular, limit your interactions to users who have verified their identity
Summing up her advice, Larkina urges online dating service users to treat these “platforms as public spaces, not as private ones” as far as possible, and be ever mindful that “every piece of data you provide — email, phone number, username, etc. — becomes part of your digital footprint.” If you’re careful about what you share and who you share it with, you can safely enjoy AdultFriendFinder and any other dating site.
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