Stay safe, stay anonymous
Talking to strangers is fun — and can be safe when you follow a few simple rules. Here's everything we do to protect you, and how you can protect yourself.
Our built-in protections
- Anonymous by default. You're identified only by a random session id in your browser. No email, name or account is ever required.
- Peer-to-peer video. Your camera and microphone connect directly to your partner via WebRTC. Your video is never stored on our servers.
- One-tap reporting. Report anyone with a reason and optional note. The chat ends immediately and our moderation team reviews it.
- Permanent blocking. Block a stranger and our matchmaker will never pair you with them again.
- Abuse prevention. Rate limits and server-side validation stop spam, flooding and connection abuse.
- Idle cleanup. Abandoned rooms are automatically closed so nothing lingers.
Golden rules for chatting with strangers
- Never share personal information. No real name, address, phone number, email, school, workplace, passwords or banking details — ever.
- Never send money. Anyone asking for money, gift cards, crypto or payment is almost certainly a scam. End the chat and report them.
- Be suspicious of too-good-to-be-true requests. Romance scammers and bots move fast. If someone pushes to move off the site quickly, that's a red flag.
- Keep your face private if you're under 18. The internet is public. Once a video or image is out there, you can't take it back.
- Trust your instincts. If a conversation makes you uncomfortable, use Next to skip or Stop to leave. You never owe a stranger anything.
- Report, don't argue. You won't win a fight with a troll. Report them and move on to a better conversation.
Community guidelines
To keep Stranger Chat welcoming for everyone, we ask that all users follow these guidelines. Breaking them can lead to a report and a ban.
- No nudity, explicit sexual content or solicitation.
- No harassment, bullying, hate speech or discrimination.
- No spamming, links to scams, or advertising.
- No impersonation of other people or organizations.
- No illegal activity or coordination of illegal acts.
- Minors should not use video chat and should never share identifying information.
In an emergency? Stranger Chat is not a substitute for professional help. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services.
Recognizing online safety risks
Chat rooms and video chat sites attract a small number of bad actors. Being able to recognize the signs keeps you and everyone else safer:
- Scammers build trust fast, then ask for money, crypto or "urgent help". They often claim to be soldiers, stranded travelers or wealthy investors.
- Catfishers pretend to be someone they're not and pressure you to move to private messaging or share photos.
- Harassers use insults or threats to get a reaction. The best response is no response — report and skip.
If you spot any of these, use the Report button. Our moderation team reviews every report and blocks repeat offenders.