WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-21) introduced the Online Dating Safety Act, first covered by Fox News. This legislation ensures those who use online dating platforms are informed about users who abuse these services to defraud, mislead, or deceive other users.

“While more and more people are using online dating services, recent stories like the Tinder Swindler have brought to light the number of bad actors who abuse these platforms to commit fraud,” said Congressman Valadao.  “It is alarmingly easy for predators online to manipulate innocent people, and the Online Dating Safety Act is an important step to help people make informed decisions about who they’re really talking to online.”

The Online Dating Safety Act would: 

• Require dating services to provide safety guidelines on their platforms
• Require services to notify members who have communicated with someone who has since been removed from dating platforms for violating the service’s safety policies.
• Require online dating services to verify the identification of new users with a government-issued ID.

The full text of the bill can be found here. 

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