New Law Requires Online Dating Sites to Disclose Background Procedures

New Jersey: First State to Ensure Security for Online Dating

Have you ever joined an internet dating site such as E-Harmony or Match.com? There are many advantages to joining such websites to meet your "destined significant other". A common concern for several users is safety. One could easily make up a phony profile with a fake picture that would be obviously misrepresenting him or herself. For these reasons, New Jersey will be the first state in the country to ensure security for online dating.

The new legislation, S1977, would mandate online dating companies to reveal the amount of their security features. This would include if the company performs background screenings on members who desire to date others. The New Jersey State Legislature want to make online dating users informed when deciding which company they want to use. The state legislature noted that many people assume that all online dating companies initiate background checks. Contrary to popular belief, many do not. Companies that may have over a million users would have to pay for these background checks. This is just one of the reasons why online dating companies have not initiated this in their procedures.

Jesse Stewart, who is currently registered on an online dating site, supports this law and believes it will attract even more users. "I am thoroughly happy that New Jersey signed this legislation into law. It will make it much safer and I can have a bit more comfort in knowing that background checks were provided. You hear of so many crimes that have begun with contact from the internet, whether it was from an online dating site or social networking site. Because of such crimes, this probably holds people back from joining these online dating sites. Now, I think it will now broaden the amount of users who join these sites because it provides secure measures to protect its users."