NJ To Pass Law On Social Networks & Dating sites.
This has to be the dumbest idea i’ve ever seen. NJ is trying to force social Networks and dating sites to conduct background checks on anyone signing up to their sites. The key wording here is “social referral services”. This will probably be one of the biggest stories in 2008 if it goes through, as it will open the door to all kinds of regulation on the internet in the US.
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d. “Internet dating service” means a person or entity directly or indirectly in the business, for profit, of offering, promoting or providing access to dating, relationship, compatibility, matrimonial or social referral services principally on or through the Internet.
f. “Member” means a customer, client or participant who submits to an Internet dating service information required to access the service for the purpose of engaging in dating, relationship, compatibility, matrimonial or social referral.
OPW — Jan 14 — Emily Hackett from the Internet Alliance sent me the following note…
The NJ Governor is going to sign this bill unless he gets email from affected constituents, e.g. on line daters and dating and social networking industry doing business in New Jersey, asking for a veto SB 1977. You are our last and best hope for a veto. It is the 11th Hour in NJ. Governor John Corizon can at any moment sign, and has until Jan. 15th at noon to sign, the first online dating bill in the 50 states. The very powerful Senate Leader Cody included SB 1977 in a trio of bills trumpeted as increasing online safety. We at the Internet Alliance believe offering criminal background checks for online daters provides a false sense of security. We also think online dating is an activity and an industry that does not need to be regulated. Finally, we think the bill as written is unconstitutional. We are afraid when this bill passes in New Jersey it will open the floodgates for regulation of dating and social network sites. Click here for email address and more info.
January 14, 2008 at 4:19 am
Absolutely unenforceable.
January 14, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I suspect we may be seeing something like this: *service not available for residents of New Jersey or where prohibited by law.
January 15, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Yes, if it does pass ==> NJ customers get cut off ==> and they complain LOUDLY ==> pendulum swings back the other way (some).
January 16, 2008 at 11:17 pm
The bill does not actually force the online dating/social networking sites to perform background checks. It only makes them tell their members whether they do or not. The bill also makes the sites put safety tips in an area of the site that will actually be seen without having to dig. No one is forcing the sites to do background checks. Only to inform the consumer.
January 17, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Cosumer safety is important to any industry, regulated or not. As online dating grows the amount of assualt and sexual assualt cases that originated from online dating grows with it. This bill makes customers more aware that they need to be safe, how is that wrong or unconstitutional? I think it is much needed because you can’t meet a person and get a vibe from them through online dating. How many times have people lied in their profiles in ways that wouldn’t be belived if met in person? My last commient is this:
When someone starts to sign up, they give the company their zip code. That is how they know they are a New Jersey resident. It is easy and helps make this bill easily enforceable.
January 19, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Maybe it might be good to embrace this…by providing a link to a background check company so users have the choice to do a background check prior to meeting the other person? Also, might be an affiliate program for this…e.g. Intelius (http://www.intelius.com/affiliates.php?PHPSESSID=147bf095e2b497eeea3cacf8d9a4551d) Thoughts? Providing a bit of rational prior to an emotional connection may be prudent.
January 24, 2008 at 1:25 am
Absolutely unenforceable <–Marc…i think so
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