Dating apps in Connecticut now must comply with new regulations aimed at strengthening in-app reporting procedures, protecting users from harassment, and providing resources on domestic violence, sexual assault, and romance scams There is.
Under Public Law 23-56, which went into effect Jan. 1, online dating businesses in Connecticut must adopt policies for handling harassment reports and maintain an accessible “online safety center.”
The law requires each safety center to “describe an online dating provider’s reporting mechanisms for harmful or unwanted behavior, provide safety advice for online communications and in-person meetings, and provide a website or phone number where users can access national resources. link to the number. Educational information about violence, sexual harassment, romance scams, and more.
Sen. Mae Flexer, vice chair of the Judiciary Committee that introduced the original bill, said these new provisions will provide Connecticut residents with online protections that most people in the country do not have. Stated.
“I think it’s important that people know exactly what they’re getting themselves into when they start using these platforms. I think it’s important to be a resource for what needs to be done,” Flexer said.
“Whether it’s a scam, an act of violence, or someone harassing you, you can use that platform to see what resources are available and know how to seek help,” Flexer added.
Flexer said the law establishes a series of actions that the Secretary of Consumer Protection can take to ensure compliance across platforms. The law allows the DCP to impose fines of up to $25,000 per violation on apps that do not comply.
Match Group, an internet and technology company whose subsidiaries include Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid, Match.com and OurTime, said it fully supports the new regulations.
“We strongly supported the passage of new legislation that would raise the standards for safety in online dating,” a Match Group spokesperson said in a statement to The Courant. “Match Group considers these policies to be best practices and is proud to work with Connecticut officials on these important efforts.”
In Connecticut, romance scams defraud residents of millions of dollars each year. In 2022, 159 nutmeggers posed as lovers online, according to data from the 2022 FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center Fraud Report and the Federal Trade Commission’s Annual Fraud Report compiled by the site Social Catfish. A total of $7.1 million was lost to scammers.
Online dating has also become deadly. In April 2022, Brandon Roberts of Ohio was convicted of the 2018 murder of 25-year-old Emily Todd of Bethel. Todd was found shot to death at a Bridgeport boat dock two weeks after meeting Roberts on her dating app.
Lauren Smithfields, 23, of Bridgeport, died in December 2021 after going on a date with a man she met on the dating app Bumble. Her boyfriend told police he went to sleep and when he woke up, Smith-Fields was unresponsive.
In January 2022, the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Smith-Fields’ death an accident due to “acute intoxication due to the combined effects of fentanyl, promethazine, hydroxyzine, and alcohol.” Smith-Fields’ family is currently suing the city in a federal civil rights lawsuit, alleging that Bridgeport police failed to properly investigate her death.
Predators also used dating apps to identify and track victims of rape and abuse.
A study sponsored by the National Institute of Justice analyzed nearly 2,000 sexual assaults that occurred between 2017 and 2020 and found that 14% occurred after a person met through a dating app. The study also found that these sexual assaults involved strangulation and injury at higher rates than those that did not involve dating apps.
Meghan Scanlon, president and CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said the newly mandated online safety center will allow users to “inform themselves if they are victimized while using a dating site. “Providing people with important information about how to get help for domestic violence and sexual harassment.” App. ”
Mr Scanlon said it was hoped the new regulations would hold individuals who misuse dating apps for nefarious purposes accountable and ensure users are informed and able to seek help. Stated.
“This policy will help guide dating apps to operate in a way that prioritizes the safety of their users and the safety of their communities,” Scanlon said. “From our perspective, domestic violence [and] We view violence as a public health crisis, and we hope this policy is an important opportunity to raise awareness of the resources and free support available. ”
Assistance for victims of domestic violence in Connecticut is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by visiting www.CTSafeConnect.org, texting, or calling 888-774-2900.
The Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence operates a 24/7 phone and text hotline at 1-888-999-5545. Additional resources are available on the website endsexexualviolencect.org.
Information about online dating and romance scams is available on the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection’s website and Attorney General William Tong’s office.