Staying safe in anonymous chat: 10 dos and don'ts

Anonymity lets you be yourself without worrying about being judged. But precisely because you don't know who's on the other side, a few simple rules are worth keeping.

Do

1. Use a nickname, not your full real name.
2. Trust your instincts. If a conversation makes you uncomfortable, just leave. You don't owe anyone an explanation.
3. Report bad behaviour. Spam, advertising, harassment, violence or unwanted adult content should all be reported. Reports are reviewed within 24 hours.
4. Keep the conversation in the app until you really trust the person. Here, messages are encrypted and deleted once you both leave.
5. Meet in a public place and tell a friend, if you ever decide to meet in person.

Don't

6. Share your phone number, home address, school or workplace with someone you've just met.
7. Send sensitive photos. Even with encrypted messages, the recipient can still take a screenshot.
8. Send money or give out OTP codes or passwords to anyone, however convincing the story sounds.
9. Click strange links the other person sends, especially ones that ask you to log in.
10. Force yourself to continue a conversation that doesn't feel right.

How does Người Lạ Ơi help keep you safe?

• We don't collect your real name, phone number or email.
• Messages are end-to-end encrypted; photos delete themselves after 24 hours and their location data is removed.
• Profile photos are checked automatically to block violent and adult content.
• Two people who have already met won't be randomly matched again.
• Accounts reported several times can be suspended.

Người Lạ Ơi is for people aged 18 and over.