Criminal background checks and online dating site safety

Internet Dating

Crary, David. "Safety issue splits online dating sites; True.com's background checks rejected by rivals as false security." Houston Chronicle [Houston, TX] 12 Feb. 2008: 8. General OneFile. Web. 3 Dec. 2010.

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In this article, Crary examines the issue of the safety of online dating sites. The specific issue is whether or not criminal background checks can be an effective means of screening. Only one website, True.com, uses criminal background screenings. New Jersey has passed a law requiring online dating services to state if they conduct screenings or not. While True.com believes its screening methods are an enhancement to its site, its competitors not surprisingly, disagree with that assessment.

"Internet dating safety advice." Europe Intelligence Wire 8 Nov. 2010. General OneFile. Web. 3 Dec. 2010.

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This article outlines some of the aspects of New Jersey's law. For many people who have already had negative experiences online, the safety precautions taken by companies such as True.com offer them piece of mind. The writers of New Jersey's law see it as a starting point, and they acknowledge weaknesses such as users using fake names, or that all dangerous people are not in the databases the site checks. Among many in the industry, the preference is for federal legislation, rather than state by state legislation, which they fear would create a "hodgepodge" of different laws.

Monas, Steve. "Chemistry and Numbers: The Online Dating Guide." North Charleston, SC: BookSurge, LLC. 2006.

This book discusses both the pros and cons of online dating. It discusses how each of the different sites varies in terms of its character, and in terms of its usage. The chapter on safety reiterates the fact that users view the anonymity of the web as an excuse to engage in riskier behaviors than they otherwise would, and that this is a mistake. Personal safety often comes down to making smart decisions and always leaving a way out of a situation.

Gormley, Michael. "New Law Requires Dating Websites to Give Safety Tips." Huffington Post. Huffington Post. 1 Sep 2010. Web. 7 Dec 2010. Document URL http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/01/bedbug-apartments-online-_n_701683.html

This article announces that New York State has followed New Jersey in enacting an Internet dating safety law. The wording of the law contains advice to New York residents about good online dating habits. Otherwise, the New York law is almost identical to the New Jersey law. This marks the second state that has enacted such a law, possibly signaling a trend.

No author. "Internet Dating Safety Act. N.J.S.A. 56:8-168 et seq." State of New Jersey. State of New Jersey. 2008. Web. 7 Dec 2010. Document URL http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/laws/InternetDatingAct.pdf

This is the first law enacted for online dating safety. The text of the law is important for the study of this issue because it discusses the background importance of the issue and the areas that lawmakers have felt the most compelling need to address. It outlines that anybody who can commit identity theft can create an online dating profile, and that providers should conduct background checks to the best of their ability, and communicate the nature of those checks to the customers. It also mentions tips for consumers, such as not providing personal information to somebody they do not know. The substance of the law is fairly thin and only deals with a couple of key issues.

Jerin, Robert & Dolinsky, Beverly. "You've got mail! You Don't Want it: Cyber-Victimization and Online Dating." Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture. Vol. 9 (1) 15-21.

This journal article analyzes the risks associated with online dating, and the perceptions of those risks among women. The majority of respondents to the survey noted that perceived risk associated with online dating is minimal, and that this perception did not vary among age groups. Age and education did not affect victimization rates, but these rates did vary with the length of time using online dating services. The majority of the victimization was distant (email harassment, for example) but there were reported instances of harassment outside of the Internet sphere. Most the respondents indicated to having safety strategies; most of these are in line with the strategies outlined in the New Jersey and New York legislation, and in the books that were part of the literature review.