Source: Sam Howzit via flickr
If the bill that passed through Illinois State Senate yesterday made by the House and becomes law, online dating sites must clean up their acts in terms of information sharing with their users about the background check. The bill proposes that dating sites that do business in Illinois are required to publish safety tips, give users clear information on what they run background checks, and use government resources approved for checking criminal records if they claim to have background checks run. The bill does not require dating sites to verify users, but restrict what claims they can make about their safety and security measures.
Two dating sites that have earned high marks from NextAdvisor testers, Match.com and eHarmony already check users against sex offender registries, and eHarmony said that this helped them keep a few offenders out of their site. Although eHarmony already informs users about its safety and substantive audit policies, the site announced they will add additional, prominent notifications to users in Illinois if the bill is signed into law.
If you are concerned about the security of online dating, you might consider using one of our top-rated background check and search the sites people to run your own checks on potential dates. As always, remember that background checks are not fool proof, so be sure to take basic precautions on your dates. This includes meeting held in a public place, letting a friend know where you were and who you'll meet, and do not give personal information such as your address too soon.