Match.com will begin screening its users against the national sex offender registry after a woman filed a lawsuit against the company saying she had been assaulted by someone she met through the popular online dating site. Match.com President Mandy Ginsberg said the company had considered screenings for years, but the fact that they were historically unreliable lead them to decide against it. “We want to stress that while these checks may help in certain instances, they remain highly flawed, and it is critical that this effort does not provide a false sense of security to our members", she said. Match said it expected to be able to implement the policy in 60 to 90 days.
See full article at Washington Post
This is MAJOR news for the online dating industry! While many paid dating sites have been considering background checks for nearly 7 years, the fact that Match.com has stepped up with this offer will set the new standard for online dating. Other dating sites will have to step up if they wish to remain competitive. Free dating sites and social networks won't be offering background checks which could make them a lot less popular. We all know in order for dating sites to thrive, they have to have women and lots of them – Women will ultimately go where they feel safe.
What do you think? Good move? Do you think this will have a major impact on the online dating industry as a whole?
