The easy-to-manipulate nature of the Online Dating world has always been a source of problems for individuals looking to locate a potential date or mate. The primary issue is that information is, generally speaking, not confirmed or even inspected to validate their accuracy. This naturally leads to problems as searches look through photographs and read fictious profiles and are left wondering how much is true.

In attempts to add a new level of security and protection to the industry, a number of new protections are in the works. My experience in this field tells me there are in fact 4 different form factors:

Offline Integrated Services

These services provide the ultimate security for users as they require real-life, in-person confirmation of facts and background before access is provided

Online Integrated Services

These services provide background checks and other forms of validation as part of the registration process

Add-on Services

These services provide verification of profile data after the fact, awarding varying levels of certification for specific data points or the entire profile

Policing Services

These services allow members to report other members that post wrong or inappropriate information about themselves

Here’s a quote from the article:

Amid a big increase in online dating, trust remains a key concern. Background checks “remove that barrier,” says Abha Bhagat, a senior analyst with Nielsen/NetRatings. Around the industry, she says “there’s been quite a bit of buzz and interest.”

Since the dawn of personal ads, people have been crafting their profiles to make themselves sound more appealing, from exaggerating their looks and career success to lying about key details like marital status. Pictures have helped eliminate some of the more superficial lies, but other details can still easily be fudged. Such tall tales have left many wary of logging on for love — a whopping 80% of online single adults don’t online date, according to Jupiter Research.

Internet personals are betting that background checks will help build trust into the online dating experience and generate additional revenue from the added services. This trust has become more critical thanks to increasing competition from social-networking sites like closely held Friendster, which offer a seemingly more secure environment of extended acquaintances.

Source: Wall Street Journal

I think one of the most interesting and useful thoughts in the article was here:

Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a San Diego nonprofit that educates consumers about privacy protection, warns that some people may be getting a false sense of security. Ms. Givens points out, for example, that restraining orders may not come up in criminal checks. “Just because someone has no criminal history doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be a dangerous person to get to know,” she says.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Clearly, we got into this problem because most people tend to believe anything as long as you can find it on the web. It’s hard to tell why this line will be any less difficult to cross.