The New Jersey legislature is considering enacting a law that would supposedly make online dating sites safer. The law, if passed, would require online dating sites to notify New Jersey residents if they conduct background checks.
On the plus side, it could screen out criminals. On the minus side, people can (and d0
-- especially if they're criminals) use fake names. On this one, I think I agree with a Yahoo! spokesman who said all this would do is provide a false sense of security. It definitely has the potential of making people less likely to follow safety guidelines if they think a person is clean.
I wonder, too, if there are any statistics available for how many people have had bad things happen to them as a result of online dating. I'd also like to see how this compares to traditional dating. I'm skeptical that online dating really has a larger risk than just meeting some random guy in a bar.
Bottom line: if you're into online dating, take the proper precautions. Meet in a public place, let someone know where you're going and when you'll be home and follow those gut feelings. Of course, those rules should apply to anyone who's dating, not just online daters.
What do you think about dating Web sites conducting criminal background checks? Do you think that online dating is not as safe as traditional dating? Why or why not?
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Danger in online dating?
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1 comment:
Like you said -- all criminal checks are going to do is create a false sense of security.
As far as the safety of online dating goes, I've dated several guys through one of the "big" dating sites. While none of the guys has turned out to be "the one," none of them have turned out to be ax murderers either. Just like meeting a stranger in a bar, the drawback is often that there's no mutual acquaintence or anyone to vouch for said stranger.
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