If you’re like most swingers, you prefer to keep your sex life private and worry about having your lifestyle rendezvous exposed. You might have gone through great pains to shield your identity when you created your first profiles, but a refresher course on online tracking is never a bad thing. The more information you have, the better choices you’ll make to protect yourself.
Before we dive in, please remember technology is constantly changing, and troublemakers are notoriously creative. Every year new security issues pop up. Always keep your guard up and keep learning, so you stay protected. We don’t want to make you paranoid, but we want you to be aware of potential pitfalls.
Using Work Computer or Wifi
If your company provides a computer, smartphone, or internet connection, expect your IT department to see everything you are doing. Some companies install secret spyware to make sure their employees are working. Most IT people don’t care about you being a swinger. However, if you have an enemy at work or the company is looking for an excuse to get rid of you for any reason, you might have a problem. Some companies have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to NSFW websites and the nudity on a swinger dating site would likely trigger that alarm. Make sure to use your own equipment & your own internet service at work.
Using Same IP Addresses
Sneakier websites can still track you & connect your activity by looking at your IP address. To be safe, use a paid VPN. The free VPNs aren’t doing you any favors. They are either too slow and/or leak your data. If you aren’t paying for the VPN, you can be sure someone is paying for it & they are collecting your valuable data to profit from it.
Browser Fingerprinting
If you think a new incognito/private browsing session will protect your anonymity, think again. Websites can fingerprint you by looking at the many small details your computer leaks out (like OS version number, time zone, browser plugins, & other personalized settings). These small details seem harmless, but they add up to a unique fingerprint. Compartmentalize your vanilla & LS activity with two different browsers, use separate VPN connection points, and minimize the personal settings. DuckDuckGo is a good internet browser for when you want extra privacy.
Logging In
You can take all the precautions you want, but if you log into Gmail or Facebook or whatever you like, that site can track you even if you are in incognito/private mode. Their AI system will also learn how you tried to hide from them to better connect the dots in the future.
Installing Apps
When you install apps, they almost always ask for certain permissions. Many of us say yes without realizing how much it exposes us. Access to your camera roll lets them use facial recognition to see who you know even if you did not add them to your address book, which they also try to mine. Some apps, like Facebook, will track your GPS coordinates & cross-reference them with others, suggesting you connect with all the other people that parked at the swinger club last night. Some apps will also spy on your microphone so they can know what you talk about. That lets them know which ads are better for you and adds you to marketing lists that they sell to other companies. Be careful with installing apps & review which permissions you allow them.
Sharing GPS Tracking
If you share your mobile plan with your kids or others, they might be able to track your phone. If you have any “find your phone” app installed, disable it before going to the swinger club. Kids are smart & they know technology better than you. They might want to see if you have gone away far enough so they can throw a party with friends, hook up at home, or simply play video games for another hour before doing their chores. So they will look to see where your phone is. If you don’t want them to know you’re at a swinger club or hotel, make sure to deactivate this setting.
Vehicle Tracking
Never take your company-provided car to a lifestyle event if you want your secret to stay a secret. Many companies hide GPS trackers in them for insurance reasons. Unfortunately, it is also cheap & easy for troublemakers to attach a GPS tracker to your car without you knowing. Apple Airtag tracker is only $29, and many other companies sell similar things. This can be especially concerning for swinger unicorns who live by themselves. You can beat this by using Uber or another car service.
Over The Shoulder Peeking
Don’t visit swinger sites & apps with vanilla people in the room. Any of them can look over your shoulder or up at the mirror behind you. If you put down your laptop to get something in the other room, they can walk in and look at your screen. Don’t pull up an app in a crowded elevator, or busy airport, or while waiting in a store. Make sure only to use these swinger resources when you are in private if you want your swinging fun to stay private.
Forgetting to Log Out
Using incognito/private browsing can help protect you, but they will see everything if you don’t log out before someone else uses your computer. You can install auto log-out tools that will automatically close your session if you forget to do this. This is handy to make sure your visiting mother-in-law or babysitter who goes on your laptop while you are out won’t see what you were doing before they arrived. This is also good in case your friend asks to borrow your phone, you’ll be safe. Speaking of friends borrowing your phone or looking at a photo, make sure to put your naughty pictures in a separate & secure folder so if someone swipes too many times on your phone’s photo roll they won’t see things you wanted to stay private.
Sloppy Posting
This is less about automated tracking & more about people who might go snooping around.
Use a username that doesn’t identify you on any swinger site you join. Don’t use your unique nickname that vanilla friends know. Don’t post pictures from your vanilla life in your swinger profile. Don’t send nudes or face pics to unverified online strangers, no matter how excited you are. Keep up your guard & think twice before exposing anything that can reveal you or help point someone in your direction.
Don’t Enter A Strangers Home
This one isn’t about automated tracking either, but it’s important. Avoid being tricked by an online honeypot trap that can out you as a swinger or, worse, get you hurt. If you make a swinger connection, always arrange your first meeting at a safe, neutral place. Don’t meet at “their house.” Why? Well, some hackers like to take over the wifi cameras people install in their homes. Then they post a sex ad. The hacker will text & flirt with the respondents, eventually telling them to come on over to “their” house, which is actually a stranger’s place with hacked wifi cameras. They will often text you at the last minute, saying the door is open and to come upstairs to the bedroom. Entering can trigger alarms and leave you trying to explain yourself to the police. Or being confronted by an armed homeowner who wasn’t expecting company. And it all gets caught on camera then posted for the world to see. It’s a very dangerous & horrific “prank.” Keep your guard up online.
Please remember this is not a complete list and that technology is constantly evolving. Keep learning and remain vigilant so you can enjoy drama-free lifestyle adventures!