Over at CNET, and also the topic of conversation at SlashDot, is the unbelievable attempt by dating site True.com to force websites to post scary disclaimers on member profiles. According to the articles, the company is pushing ridiculous laws in several states, possibly to try to hurt their competition. The laws would make it a crime to show a user profile on some websites without a disclaimer that says:
“WARNING: WE HAVE NOT CONDUCTED A FELONY-CONVICTION SEARCH OR FBI SEARCH ON THIS INDIVIDUAL.”
Not only would sites have to post that on every profile, but they would also have to put it in every email, and it would have to be in “12 point type” - whatever that means in email.
It would be bad enough if this company was just trying to use politicians to attack their competition, but they are also going after other websites as well according to CNET:
First, it would regulate far more than just dating sites. The California bill introduced last week covers any Web site offering “compatibility” or “social referral services”–a sweeping definition that encompasses everything from high-school reunion site Classmates.com to a matchmaking site for a tennis doubles tournament.
That means that even sites like Literotica and possibly other small forums and communities may be forced to put these ridiculous useless warnings on every page or face huge fines.
Here is a link to the text of the proposed California bill with a list of the politicians who wrote it.
Many at SlashDot and other sites have said that True.com is really just trying to manipulate the legal system to harm their competitors because they may be having trouble competing on a level playing field. People have said that instead of trying to succeed by having the best dating site, the company is trying to harm their competition with intrusive legislation. Some people have already began to suggest a boycott of True.com because of these underhanded tactics. The thinking of some people posting on various sites seem to go like this, “if they would try to force oppressive sneaky legislation on to the entire population of several states - what else might they be up to that people don’t know about?”
Personally, I would not encourage people to use a site that is trying to manipulate the legal system to hurt the freedom of other websites to publish as they see fit. They can run their own site how they want, but leave the rest of the web alone.
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