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Some dangers that are involved in online dating include:
Many of these dangers can occur when the matchmaking website is not secure or not run by professionals.
Fraud can occur if the dating website is disreputable, and involve the site’s owners taking money from its users and not providing the services that were promised for the exchange of that money. Fraud can also occur between users who are registered on the site. The transfer of funds for the purposes of transportation to meet one another can result in theft (Computer Crime Research Center, 2005).
Security and privacy also fall under this category when dealing with dating sites. On some sites, privacy is not guaranteed. Some sites recommend that users read the site’s privacy policy before registering with a site. Lack of security is another danger of online dating. Some sites allow unregistered users to access the personal information of their registered users, which can cause some security issues (Internet Privacy Information Center, 2005).
A major concern is that others could obtain personal information about a user via the dating service, which could then be used to harass or injure. In the Internet’s infancy, much of society did not put any weight to claims that cyberstalking was a real threat to the person being stalked. Recent events, however, have shown that Internet stalking is not only harmful to the recipient, but can be just as dangerous as physical stalking (Fullerton, 2003).
Online dating, though, is not responsible for the proliferation of Internet stalking; it is another way that Internet stalking can be manifested. Online daters should be aware of the dangers associated with exposing their personal information on the Internet, and take precautions against Internet stalking.
Many cases of Internet stalking that have developed into physical stalking have occurred due to the carelessness of users with their personal information (United States Department of Justice, 1999). Some extreme cases of Internet stalking have developed into physical stalking, and have resulted in physical assault, which is another professed danger that can evolve from dating online.
Registering with an online dating site can also result in identity theft, whereby a hacker, or other computer-savvy user, uses the dating services site to access personal information of registered users, and steals their identity (Explore Identity Theft, 2005). One purpose of stealing another’s identity is to use their credit card details to make purchases. Another purpose is to commit cybercrime under another person’s name or identity. If the dating site contains enough information about its users that another person can discover and use to their own advantage, then there are inherent dangers involved with online dating. (Window Security, 2005)
There is also a possibility that other members of a dating site or unauthorised users may post or transmit offensive or obscene material on the site, exposing users to nudity, explicit sexual content, and prohibited Internet content, such as child pornography (Wikipedia, 2005. "Sexually Explicit").
Some services monitor the online behaviour of members to a certain extent. Sites such as Match.com provide second-party regulation to track complaints and terminate the access of those who violate standards.
Precautions against many of the above dangers include withholding contact details, such as a mailing address, telephone numbers, and where a user works or studies.
People who use Internet dating services confirm that they believe that meeting through online dating sites was safer than meeting in bars, as more than 80 percent of those polled in a February 2002 Lycos online survey, including both men and women, said (Neils, 2004).
Ultimately, each user is in control of what information they transmit to others and must use the same common sense as they would in reality. The key to safety online is in limiting the amount of personal information a user reveals.
Online Dating - Online Etiquette
Online Dating - Stigma of Online Dating
Computer Crime Research Center. (2005) retrieved September 20, 2005, from http://www.crime-research.org/
Explore Identity Theft (2005) "Identity Theft: Prevention Methods" retrieved September 20, 2005, from http://www.identitythefthero.com/prevention.html
Fullerton, B. (2003) "CyberAge Stalking" retrieved September 20, 2005, from http://www.llrx.com/features/cyberstalking.htm
Internet Privacy Information Center. (2005) retrieved September 20, 2005, from http://http//www.epic.org/
Neils, J. (2004) "The Internet as a Medium for Meeting" retrieved September 20, 2005, from http://www.jneils.com/onlinedating/index.html
United States Department of Justice. (1999) "1999 REPORT ON CYBERSTALKING" retrieved September 20, 2005, from http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/cyberstalking.htm
Wikipedia. (2005) "Sexually Explicit" retrieved September 20, 2005, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sexually_explicit
Window Security (2005) "Avoiding Identity Theft" retrieved September 20, 2005, from http://www.secinf.net/privacy/Avoiding-Identity-Theft.html
Lisa Irving 11:50, 19 Oct 2005 (EST)
