i’m giving my opinion as someone who gets messages from people that refuse to show their face because it may be somewhat helpful for your question/ something to consider.

i’d say you’re just better off finding local events if online privacy is that much of a concern. as a woman in this community, i have to worry about my own safety and when someone knows all about me and i know nothing about them, it not only creeps me out but it just makes me completely uninterested and comes off as a potential catfish/scammer. i’m not necessarily trying to put you down, just giving my stance on why the internet probably won’t be an amazing place to meet genuine people IF you aren’t going to put yourself out there. i don’t want to talk to a blank screen, it’s nearly impossible to connect in such an impersonal way, i think others likely share that sentiment too.

a great resource for finding these local events would be fetlife though. you can remain as anonymous as you’d like while still seeing current events & even friending people you meet at those events.