How to stay safe when you talk to strangers

Keep these to yourself

• Your full name, home address, or the street, school or workplace you can be found at.
• Your phone number, email and social media handles — they lead to everything else.
• Anything that shows where you are on camera: post, ID cards, a window with a recognisable view.
• Passwords, codes and money. RoomDrift will never ask for them, and nor should anyone you meet on it.

Red flags

Leave the chat — tap Next or end it — when someone:

• pushes to move to another app or private messaging straight away;
• asks for photos, especially intimate ones, or asks you to undress or do something on camera;
• sends links or files, or asks you to install something or “verify” yourself on another site;
• brings up money — gift cards, crypto, an emergency, an investment “opportunity”;
• pressures you, flatters you unusually fast, or gets angry when you say no.

You don't owe anyone an explanation for leaving. Skipping is a normal part of random chat, for everyone.

If someone threatens you or tries to blackmail you

A common scam is to record a video chat and then threaten to share it unless you pay. If that happens:

1. Don't pay. Paying rarely ends it; it usually leads to more demands.
2. Stop replying and block them anywhere they've contacted you.
3. Keep evidence — screenshots of messages, usernames and payment details they gave you.
4. Get help. Report it to your local police. If intimate images of you are being shared, StopNCII.org can help get them taken down from major platforms. If the images are of someone under 18, use NCMEC's Take It Down.

Your controls on RoomDrift

• Next ends the chat and finds someone new, instantly.
• The red button ends the chat and stops matching.
• Camera and microphone stay off until you start a call, and you can switch either off at any time.
• Text chat never uses your camera or microphone at all.
• Private rooms let you talk only with people you've given a code to.

What RoomDrift can't protect you from

Being honest about the limits matters as much as the features. RoomDrift can't stop someone recording their screen or filming it with another device. It can't tell you who someone really is, because nobody signs up. And because calls connect the two browsers directly, the other person's device can technically see your IP address, which gives a rough idea of your location — if that worries you, use text chat or a VPN. The privacy page explains this in more detail.

For parents

RoomDrift is for adults, and random chat with strangers isn't suitable for children. If your child uses sites like this, talk with them about the red flags above, and make sure they know they can come to you without getting in trouble if something goes wrong.