Online Dating Safety: Your Camera Phone and FaceFile

Whether you’re new to the world of online dating or not, it doesn’t necessarily get easier to keep meeting new faces. You’ve got your “standby” meeting locations for drinks or coffee and first dates. But are there ways to be even safer with the entire online dating process?

I discovered a tool called FaceFile awhile back and wanted to share it with the “dating public.”

FaceFile can be used with any camera-equipped cell phone (and I hear they have an iPhone app and Blackberry/JavaScript app coming out soon). It works as simple as this:

Step 1: Visit FaceFile online and sign up for your FREE personal account (I love that it’s FREE!).

Step 2: Add the address for your FaceFile secure photo lockbox to your phone’s address book.

Step 3: Take a photo of new people you’re meeting via online dating. Just say, “Hi! Would you mind if I took your photo? It uploads to a secure database called FaceFile and isn’t visible to anyone. It’s a personal safety tool I use and I hope you understand that I’m just trying to do this online dating thing the smart way!”

Step 4: Text the picture to your FaceFile account.

The photos you take are stored securely online. They are not shared with anyone. Instead, an alert is sent out to a network of people you’ve established with your FaceFile account. This network receives an email that you’re uploaded a new photo and to check in on you. While your phone might ring during your date, that’s easy to manage!

Since your safety is of the utmost importance, FaceFile lets you enter into new environments with new people with a greater level of security. If the act of you taking a person’s picture discourages them from doing you harm – FaceFile has worked perfectly. If anything goes awry, however, you have a trusted network of people who know that they should check in on you. While they can’t see the photo, they can reach out to make sure you’re OK an if necessary, alert law enforcement that something’s not right.

Since installing FaceFile on my phone, I’ve only used it once and it was to take a photo of someone yelling into a car window in front of me at a stoplight. As predicted, I got a few phone calls from my Network, but that’s OK. The system worked!

If you want to learn more about FaceFile and how to use it, you can visit their online demo. If you don’t feel safe in the online dating game, you may be missing out on Mr. or Mrs. Right. FaceFile is another tool that can help you if you feel it’s a fit.