True, an online dating service, is pushing for special favors in the Florida legislature with a bill that would require dating services to perform criminal background checks on all their customers (a service True provides). This bizarre idea — that you need permission from the cops in order to fall in love — is pretty nakedly anti-competitive, and what's worse, it's terribly invasive of the privacy of potential customers for dating services. On an online personals blog, there's a spirited discussion of the issue:
Background checks are an add-on service that users should be able to choose. I think it's commendable True is offering background checks. But, I don't think it should be pushed on everyone. Most users are not going to need or want background checks.
From a business standpoint, it doesn't make any sense. It increases our costs, and if everyone has to do it, all we're doing is feeding the background check industry. There are no free lunches, so someone has to pay for it—the users.
It's a better policy for background checks to be made by users who deem them necessary. Whereas seat belts and air bags are no longer optional and saving lives every day, do one has demonstrated that having background checks will save any lives…. Not even one! If that were the case, background checks would already have been mandated for anyone who picks up someone in a bar.
(Thanks, Matt!)
