{"id":84421,"date":"2018-02-12T06:00:47","date_gmt":"2018-02-12T14:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/securingtomorrow.mcafee.com\/?p=84421"},"modified":"2025-08-31T19:20:40","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T02:20:40","slug":"dating-devices-personal-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcafee.com\/blogs\/internet-security\/dating-devices-personal-security\/","title":{"rendered":"Are We Dating Our Devices? How Our Online Interactions Impact Our Personal Security"},"content":{"rendered":"

L is for the way you look at your technology, O is for you\u2019re not the only one looking at it. We L-O-V-E our connected devices, our apps, and all the online social interaction that comes with them. But unfortunately, we\u2019re not the only ones who love them, as cybercriminals are attempting to capitalize on our connected lifestyles in order to swoop valuable personal information. Let\u2019s explore why this is happening, how our increased device use impacts our lives, and what we can do to show our personal security some love.<\/p>\n

Sharing data during modern dating<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We love our devices largely for the connectedness and information they provide us with. For example, modern romance has shifted towards dating apps largely because these apps connect us with world quickly and easily. On these dating apps, you share information about yourself with strangers. But could you be sharing that info with strangers that aren\u2019t even on the app? Just a few weeks ago, security researchers\u00a0discovered<\/a>\u00a0that popular dating app Tinder still lacks basic HTTPS encryption for photos. Just by being on the same Wi-Fi network as any user of Tinder’s iOS or Android app, potential hackers could see any photo the user did, or even inject their own images into his or her photo stream. These crooks could even watch a user swipe left or right. By trying to stay connected online, these dating app users could be helping cybercriminals connect to their personal data instead.<\/p>\n

The effects of our device devotion<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ironically enough, our efforts to engage socially online don\u2019t exactly help us strengthen real-life relationships. In fact, we know from last year\u2019s Connected Relationships survey<\/a> that as we use our connected devices more and more each day, our relationships are negatively impacted by that use.<\/p>\n

The Connected Relationships survey respondents said that they spend an equal amount of time at home online (38%) as they do interacting with others face-to-face. And 40% felt their significant other paid more attention to their own device when they were together one-on-one. You could even say that, for many, these devices have become\u00a0the \u201cother (wo)man\u201d in the relationship.<\/p>\n

Though devices have managed to cause some minor riffs between couples, that doesn\u2019t stop couples from sharing even when they shouldn\u2019t. Out of those surveyed, nearly 30% of couples share passwords to social media accounts, 28% share passwords to personal email accounts, and most shockingly, more than 20% share their work-specific devices and accounts with their significant other.<\/p>\n

Spread the love to your personal security<\/strong><\/h2>\n

So, whether you\u2019re sharing your private data with a dating app, or your account info with a loved one, it\u2019s important you show your personal security some love too. To do just that, follow these tips:<\/p>\n