Advocates prepared to move forward to give more information to help growing
number of Floridians using online dating services
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Elected leaders and a coalition
of organizations and individuals supporting a law to require online dating
companies to disclose whether or not criminal background screenings have been
conducted have pledged their continued commitment to this important health and
public safety measure. The legislation was sponsored this session by Florida
Representative Kevin Ambler and Senator Victor Crist and Representative was
met with strong bipartisan support.
"While the legislature, in dealing with a number of pressing state
priorities, ran out of time before they could have a complete dialogue on this
issue, we are prepared to take this measure in a new direction," said House
sponsor Rep. Kevin Ambler. "During the course of debate on this measure, it
became very apparent there is a related critical issue that needs to be
further investigated. We need to determine how Floridians can be better served
and protected by available criminal background data, which by law is public
record."
Supporters will be requesting the House Speakers Office to assemble an
interim select committee this summer to study the quality and availability of
criminal background screening data in Florida. The information produced from
this study will provide valuable information to supporters and elected leaders
next year as they pursue legislation to require online dating sites to
disclose whether or not criminal background screening has been conducted.
"As an expert in the area of cybercrime, I help adult victims of online
stalking and harassment. Unfortunately, all too often I hear from people who
have been victimized as a result of an online dating situation gone wrong,"
said Jayne Hitchcock, president of Working to Halt Online Abuse, an online
safety organization. "These situations usually occur when a woman tries to
break off the relationship and finds out that the person she had been dating
had a violent criminal background. Knowing up front about an individual's
criminal background could help stop many of these tragic situations."
Supporters of this health and public safety measure include more than 130
Safer Online Dating Alliance (SODA) members including the Florida Council
Against Sexual Violence, the International Union of Police Associations, the
Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, National Organization of
Women-Florida Chapter, online dating participants and businesses such as
True.com, an online dating service that currently conducts criminal background
screening on its communicating members. When the company first applied the
background and sexual offense screening service to their database, True.com
screened out 11 percent of site applicants.
SOURCE True.com
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Related links:
http://www.true.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/919610.html
CONTACT:
Elizabeth E. Hirst, +1-850-222-3767, or
+1-850-509-3834, or Taylor L. Cole, APR, Sr. Director of
Marketing, +1-972-333-4343, both of True.com
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