Sex Offenders No Longer Welcome at eHarmony, Match.com

By Dennis Romero Tue., Mar. 20 2012 at 12:11 PM

Emily Hildebrand

Has your dating site served you up a heaping plate of loser or, worse, a straight-up perv?

California Attorney General Kamala Harris is coming to the rescue. Today she announced a deal with three big dating websites, eHarmony, Match.com and Spark Networks (home of JDate and ChristianMingle) that will have them kick out anyone who's a sex offender.

Darn. Here's the deal:

From now on the sites will screen users (losers?) to see if they're on national sex offender databases. If they are, they're out. The services will also have to set up quick-and-easy systems for reporting creeps.

What's more, according to a statement from Harris' office:

The websites will also continue to proactively educate members about safe online dating practices, and will supply members with online safety tips, including fraud prevention guidance and tips for safely meeting people offline. These tips and financial scam warnings will be issued on an ongoing basis to registered members.

Harris says:

Aw. A photo from eHarmony's Facebook page.

Consumers should be able to use websites without the fear of being scammed or targeted. It is a priority for this office to ensure consumers are protected online, and companies who are creating in the Internet space have a continued opportunity to innovate and thrive.

Of course, she just opened a whole new business opportunity for sites that cater to weirdos and potential sex criminals. Oh, wait, one already exists. It's called Craigslist.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

Tags:

dating, dating websites, eHarmony, Kamala Harris, match.com, sex offender

We Recommend

beercrabs

after reading into this article, I'm convinced internet dating sites are about to become a much safer place....lmao

Cliff Chesley

Don't forget the facebook app "are you interested?"

MTkill_a_manJaro

soo...they didnt screen these people before they make the hook up?

Thats scary!

ive never used sites like those before (yes, really) but I assumed that part of the fees you paid goes to some sort of basic screening. I guessed wrong, clearly.

Mandy

ha like everyone i know uses okcupid, I don't think it's just for losers anymore. Although it is still for creeps, just not exclusively.

The_Emperor

Wow. And how will this work? Use a name that is not your alias? Real sneaky.

George Yalta

"From now on the sites will screen users (losers?)"

I coudn't read any of the article after this because you were blinding me with your sheer professionalism and wit.

Dennis Romero

Thanks George!

George Yalta

The Craigslist burn was nice, but making fun of people who use dating sites is just pretty embarrassingly easy -- especially just with "losers". I mean, I get that it rhymes with "users", but we're not in eighth grade anymore and you're not Dr. Seuss.