Why Match.com's Plan to Screen for Sexual Predators Is Going to Bite Back
When a member of the popular dating site Match.com sued it for negligence last week after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by another member, Match.com came up with a plan: It would start screening Match.com users against the sexual offenders registry. Unfortunately, Match.com has jumped on a slippery slope that could easily begin invading member privacy and alienate potential customers. Worse, the new policy won't even fully protect the members it has.
Like most dating websites, Match.com gives a little bit more information than a blind date. This is the risk that comes with dating online and, frankly, with dating offline, too. By vetting its members at all, Match.com is making itself more vulnerable to lawsuits. What if another alleged sexual assault happens after Match.com changes its screening process? Wasn't it supposed to be creating a safe environment? It's setting itself up for failure.
It also could lead to Match.com or comparable sites vetting members too much with public or semi-public information including:
- Credit reports
- Bankruptcy
- Criminal records
- Taxes
The bigger issue I see is if more mainstream dating websites like Match.com decide to police their membership, potential or current members may not be aware of why they were not accepted or were booted out of the club. Imagine eHarmony not allowing someone to join because she has a felony, but not being required to tell her why.
To take it a step further, who knows what an eHarmony would do with the information once someone is not accepted onto the site. Will the information be secure? The information is technically public, but having all of someone's dirt in one place is much easier than digging around in multiple sources.
In all, Match.com probably believes it is reacting nobly to a reportedly awful crime. In reality, it is just making itself more vulnerable to lawsuits -- and online daters to more evasive screening in the future.
Photo courtesy of loop_oh // CC 2.0
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