N.J. targets Internet dating sites

N.J. targets Internet dating sites

	Published : Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:16 By : Agencies Print this Story

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Even as they conceded it was a flawed bill, New Jersey legislators Monday pushed forward a plan to try to make online dating sites safer.

An Assembly committee released to the full Assembly legislation to require the sites to notify New Jersey residents whether they do criminal background checks.

Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, a bill sponsor, said the bill would help force online dating Web sites to take more responsibility for safety. But Greenstein conceded the plan isn't foolproof.

The sites could do little about people who give false names and won't be able to take anyone fingerprints to ensure identities.

'There's definitely possibilities for this to fail,' Greenstein said.

That concession was seized upon by Internet companies who said background checks are unreliable.

'It's ineffective and bad for consumers,' said Marshall Dye of Match.com.

Bill Ashworth of Yahoo! said the unreliable checks will provide a false sense of security.

'This bill really does more harm than good,' he said.

Braden Cox, of the Netchoice Coalition, which represents companies such as AOL, eBay, NewsCorp. and Oracle, said the bill would improperly regulate Internet activity and fail to let dating site users know about misdemeanors.

'It's not a perfect safety solution,' Cox said.

Greenstein and the companies will meet to consider changes, but the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee voted to release the bill anyway.

'We are charged with protecting the safety of the public we serve and this bill is a major step, even though it's not the perfect bill,' said Assemblyman Gordon Johnson, D-Bergen, the committee chairman.

The law passed the Senate in March and would require Internet dating services to warn New Jersey customers on whether criminal background screenings have been performed.

If an Internet dating service doesn't conduct criminal background screenings, it shall disclose that to all New Jersey members in bold and large capital letters.

If a service does background checks, it must disclose whether it allows people with criminal convictions to have access to the site.

Services who violate the law would face civil penalties under New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act.