The internet can just be a huge gossip machine, guess it depends who you choose to chat with and what you decide to divulge.
I was always private with things, if someone said “please don’t say…” then I didn’t.
However I decided the best way was to only keep in touch with folk I actually knew and had met. Bit harsh because I met many lovely people online, yourself included Mimms, but that’s how I see it now.