TRUE.com Applauds Lawmakers for Passing Landmark Safer Dating
Legislation
Company Continues Long-Standing Commitment to Safer Dating
for Consumers
By:
Published: 14 January 2008
TRUE.com(R), the leading scientifically based online relationship
service, congratulates New Jersey legislators for yesterday
enacting the nation's first online dating legislation -- which
is designed to protect the growing number of New Jersey citizens
who are going online to meet potential dates. The Internet
Dating Safety Act (Senate Bill-1977/A4304) requires online
dating services to disclose their criminal background screening
practices and to offer safer dating tips on their sites. With
the growing concern nationwide about online safety overall,
this legislation reinforces TRUE's steadfast commitment to
safer online dating. TRUE's proactive policy requires criminal
background and marriage screenings on all of its communicating
members -- the only practice of its kind among major online
dating sites.
Sponsored by Senate President Richard J. Codey and Assemblywoman
Linda Greenstein, New Jersey's new public safety law requires
online dating sites to disclose whether criminal background
screenings are performed, as well as to provide safety tips
to members. Several other states, including New York, Pennsylvania
and Florida among others, are seriously considering similar
legislation. When registering for membership on TRUE, all
users must represent that they have not been convicted of
a felony or of a sexual offense and that they are not married.
"New Jersey's Internet Dating Safety Act represents
a crucial step in the right direction to help protect consumers'
safety, and hopefully the other 49 states will follow New
Jersey's lead and enact safer dating legislation in their
states this year," said TRUE founder and CEO Herb Vest.
"There is no uniform safety standard for the online dating
industry, and the industry overall has largely ignored its
undeniable need to further improve responsibility to member
safety. We at TRUE simply won't stand idle on this front,
and we implore other companies to put their members' safety
as a high priority like we do and to start performing screenings.
We're even happy to help by lending our expertise to other
online sites that decide to provide screenings. Through legislation
like New Jersey's, our own vigilant pursuit at TRUE and other
industry companies' support, if we can protect even one person
from harm, then these efforts are certainly worthwhile."
Codey added: "Hopefully this bill will remind people
that they need to be cautious when using online dating sites.
At the very least, this law will make people aware of whether
or not a site does criminal background checks. Hopefully this
will spark a dialogue and encourage people to take precautions,
regardless of whether a site does background checks or not."
Bill Noble, executive director of the Safer Online Dating
Alliance, commented: "The New Jersey law represents a
significant victory in the effort to protect online daters
and their children, and we're encouraged that other states
are already considering similar legislation to join in this
important fight. We at SODA continue to maintain that online
dating services cannot simply cross their fingers, and hope
their members are safe. Consumers need more online dating
companies like TRUE to step up and aggressively address this
extremely serious, potentially life-threatening situation."
TRUE's Lawsuits
In addition to screenings, TRUE's site warns criminals to
stay away -- as well as declares the company may vigorously
pursue individuals who misrepresent themselves and report
violators to appropriate federal, state and local authorities,
including parole boards. Living up to the company's word,
TRUE took the unprecedented step in the industry of being
the only online dating company that has pursued civil prosecution
of an individual for misrepresenting himself online.
TRUE's first lawsuit was filed in November 2005 against a
convicted felon and registered sex offender in California
who misrepresented his felony status and improperly accessed
TRUE's database. The lawsuit resulted in an agreement in September
2006 that prevented the convicted felon from signing up, using
or communicating through any online dating or relationship
service, among other terms. The company also filed a civil
lawsuit in March 2007 against a convicted felon and registered
sex offender in Florida, charging that he misrepresented his
felony status when attempting to access TRUE's members. The
judge in that case also permanently banned the felon from
accessing TRUE's Web site.
"From day one when I founded this company, I made a
solemn promise to create a safer dating environment for our
members and all consumers as well," said Vest. "I
can't guarantee that ex-felons and married individuals cannot
get on TRUE; but, I can guarantee that they will be very,
very sorry they did."
Additional TRUE Safety Measures
TRUE acknowledges that no background screenings are 100 percent
foolproof, although the company knows they do provide a critical
level of proactive protection that increases members' safety.
In addition to the background and marriage screenings, since
its founding in 2003, TRUE has vigorously invested in the
technologies, training and processes to become the safer online
dating service for singles.
The company has developed a comprehensive member safety program,
led by former Dallas police chief William Rathburn, that further
protects members each day by identifying and removing scammers
and other fraudsters; reviewing e-mails, profiles and photos;
and monitoring chat room discussions. TRUE also employs a
number of private investigators and former policemen from
major cities around the country who lend their expertise in
support of TRUE's prosecution efforts.
TRUE also has created services to aid in greater safety.
Private chats let members "meet" each other in a
virtual setting before visiting in person, and member-to-member
ratings allow them to indicate their dating experiences. The
site also offers a variety of tips for safer dating online.
About TRUE
TRUE is the leading scientifically based, online relationship
service, whose mission is to help singles find long-lasting
and fulfilling relationships. Founded on an advanced, scientifically
based compatibility test uniquely endorsed by Psychology Today
and independently certified to meet the Standards for Educational
and Psychological Testing, TRUE is the only online relationship
service that actively seeks to further protect the safety
of its communicating members by conducting criminal background
screenings and single-verification screenings. With the help
of proprietary research and in conjunction with national and
international advisors in the field of relationship and psychology,
TRUE's team of experts guides members step-by-step through
all stages of the relationship-building process. To find out
more about how TRUE helps people around the world Live.Love.Learn.(R)
please visit http://www.true.com.
Press Contacts:
Janelle O'Haugherty
Vollmer Public Relations
972/488-4790 (office)
817/223-3328 (mobile)
janelle@vollmerpr.com
|