I have found it fascinating to read not here so much but in the comments section of the LATimes blog the hate and loathing blame the victim comments (they’ve changed their comment format so they are not readily viewable now although the ones at the TIME are.) that people made regarding the Los Angeles Entertainment attorney who sued premier matchmaking dating site Match.com to get them to filter out any applicants who showed up in the public sex offenders registries. The personal attacks when they don’t even know the woman. The name calling.
In particular, the example that has come up that singles who aren’t versed at all in legal matters, and I will here state, this is my opinion and understanding. I am not an attorney nor a member of the Bar in any States of the United States. I am not here providing legal advice. This is just my understanding from having looked at it from the perspective of business purpose and intent. So the most common question that popped up by civilian was to compare the situation of dating sites with singles bars.
However the purpose and intent of the two businesses are very different.
A bar is in the direct business of selling drinks to customers. Secondarily people meet, socialize, hook up, and connect. The primary business the bar is in is to sell drinks and that is why they are required to card people. You can debate whether or not the IDs are valid or not. But I think we grasp the scenario. They are as one attorney described it to me, “a bulletin board.” People meeting there is up to them.
They did not accept money from their customers for the purpose of directly introducing people to each other.
However Match.com and all the other internet dating sites are in the business of matchmaking, however involved or uninvolved they are in that process.
They accept money from their clients to introduce people to each other. In which case, for that fee then I do think they need to perform a few basic background checks. To check prospective members against the sex crimes offenders registries seems like the basic level of background search to be performed.
And let me be clear. I do not know the entire case, there may very well have been money involved, but what the Los Angeles attorney primarily sued Match.com for was to Do An Action in the future. Her suing them instituted that this is now a requirement. I have to say, to require that of a matchmaking service seems pretty reasonable to me. It will now be woven into and incorporated in the membership fees for singles at the dating sites.
A number of states in the Union are proposing and considering similar legislation for singles in their states which cover them at dating sites which accept their memberships. The dating site does not need to have its corporate headquarters in the state to be affected. New York State currently has one matchmaking sites regulation in place and is considering another.
Stay safe out there…..
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell
Reading Body Language says
May 5, 2011 at 10:13 PMDoing background checks would hopefully help people feel safe and move the industry forward.
Clare Delaney says
May 5, 2011 at 10:15 PMWhat a pity people get so vitriolic. It’s bad enough being a victim, without all the hate comments too. I agree, you cannot compare the two businesses of singles bars and online dating/matchmaking. There’s a phrase for when somenoe disagrees and uses a completely unrelated argument to ‘justify’ their case.
Sonya Lenzo says
May 6, 2011 at 6:52 AMSo glad for your site to help singles navigate what seems to be an increasingly scary world!
Sonya Lenzo
Body Language says
May 6, 2011 at 8:19 AMFor sure, everyone wishes the victim very well.
Neil Dhawan says
May 6, 2011 at 9:45 AMWell done and well stated, April ( you can’t see me, but I’m standing on my chair applauding you for this article ). I like how you point out the “bar scene” is in the business of selling drinks – not in the matchmaking service – whereas Match.com and other internet dating sites are in the business of ( for lack of a better term ) hooking people up and they get paid for that service. They do need to institute some safety regulations and, sadly, it took such an event to make, what should have already been in place, now a necessity.
Best, Neil
http://geneflora.com/obvious-health-tip-2/
Annalise says
May 6, 2011 at 11:31 AMSingle people just should be more careful about their private info and photos on these websites. Online dating services are very useful, but please use some common sense.
Kevin Bettencourt says
May 6, 2011 at 12:17 PMI think a match making company the touted it’s background checking procedures would rise above all others.
Kashandra says
May 6, 2011 at 5:05 PMScreening out sex offenders seems like a good idea to me. Grateful they are doing more to protect women online.
Dewayne Chriswell says
May 6, 2011 at 5:46 PMWhile I’m not up on the blame game game for the Matchmaking organizations, it seems any type of protective screening services would be a step in the right direction, not because it’s their obligation, but because it’s good marketing.
The other thing I’ve learned in the past few weeks is that news organizations will publish any comments, no matter how ill or misinformed and give them credence in print. Most of the hateful nutjobs doing these types of postings wouldn’t know a clue if it walked up and introduced itself.
Dewayne Chriswell
http://dewaynechriswell.com
Peggy Larson says
May 6, 2011 at 6:30 PMI would have thought a simple background check would have been part of the screening or application process from the beginning.
Eva Palmer says
May 7, 2011 at 7:43 AMI think that specially in the United States with so many different laws in each State you have to know a lot and be legally well inform almost for any action.
Thank you very much for the information April!
online dating says
May 10, 2011 at 11:58 AMindeed OL dating service of such serves as a hub for people who is searching for there partners. the idea of doing background checks might be a good to do
Covert Hypnosis Secrets says
June 3, 2011 at 2:25 PMIt makes sense that internet dating is getting more screening.