Illinois Passes Internet Dating Safety Bill
- Monday, April 02 2012 @ 11:34 am
- Contributed by: Editor
- Views: 3,356
Legislation (HB4083) designed to make online dating safer for users in Illinois passed the Illinois House late last week with a vote of 83 to 26.
This legislation requires all online dating sites operating in Illinois to provide a disclaimer on their websites stating whether or not they conduct background checks on their members. This bill is very similar to the ones passed by New York state 2 years ago and by New Jersey about 4 years ago.
A number of dating sites already have such warnings on their services visible by all members. The problem with this bill is that it implies that if a background check is done then you are safe. Background checks can be helpful but they do have several limitations. One is that they rely on information given by the person. If a scammer is on a dating site, it is unlikely that he will use his real information. Another problem is that there is no one database of records and reports on criminals. There are local, state and national databases that each record information in their own way and may not even be accessible by background checks run by companies.
For a more complete explanation of what Background Checks offer you can read our Background Checks category description. For more on the story you can read STL Today.
This legislation requires all online dating sites operating in Illinois to provide a disclaimer on their websites stating whether or not they conduct background checks on their members. This bill is very similar to the ones passed by New York state 2 years ago and by New Jersey about 4 years ago.
A number of dating sites already have such warnings on their services visible by all members. The problem with this bill is that it implies that if a background check is done then you are safe. Background checks can be helpful but they do have several limitations. One is that they rely on information given by the person. If a scammer is on a dating site, it is unlikely that he will use his real information. Another problem is that there is no one database of records and reports on criminals. There are local, state and national databases that each record information in their own way and may not even be accessible by background checks run by companies.
For a more complete explanation of what Background Checks offer you can read our Background Checks category description. For more on the story you can read STL Today.
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