Herb Vest, CEO of the online dating service True.com, is still working hard to get the government to push background checks for those seeking love on the ‘net. The New York Times reports:
True, which conducts criminal background checks on its subscribers, is the primary force behind a two-year-old campaign to get state legislatures to require that social Web sites prominently disclose whether or not they perform such checks….
The company then tried to have laws passed in several states that would require other sites to conduct background checks or disclose that they do not…. True has had little political success so far, but is backing bills that legislators are considering in Florida, Texas and Michigan.
As the Times reports, Vest is no newcomer to lobbying government to gain an advantage over competitors.
As I noted two years ago, Vest’s preferred legislation would require matchmaking sites not conducting background checks “stamp this stark warning atop every e-mail and personal ad, in no less than 12-point type: ‘WARNING: WE HAVE NOT CONDUCTED A FELONY-CONVICTION SEARCH OR FBI SEARCH ON THIS INDIVIDUAL.'”
Is this really necessary? When I want to know for sure whether my online date is a felon, I just visit this site.
The Technology Liberation Front is the tech policy blog dedicated to keeping politicians' hands off the 'net and everything else related to technology.
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