California Bill Would Require Dating Apps to Flag Offenders

A California lawmaker has proposed legislation that would force online dating apps to conduct criminal background checks on users and visibly flag those with certain serious convictions.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Caroline Menjivar (D-Van Nuys), would require dating platforms to run checks on California users. If a user is a registered sex offender or has been convicted of a violent felony, domestic violence, assault, or a hate crime, the app must place a visible “flag” on their profile to alert others.

Menjivar argued that dating apps have failed to provide adequate safety for users. She cited a 2019 Columbia Journalism Investigations survey in which more than one-third of women reported being sexually assaulted by someone they met on a dating app. She also referenced a case in which a woman was murdered and her body set on fire after meeting a man through a dating app.

Critics of the bill, including Jose Torres of the tech industry group TechNet, warned that implementing such a system would require platforms to collect large amounts of personal data to avoid misidentification. The measure passed the Senate Public Safety Committee – Menjivar said she plans to amend the bill before it reaches the privacy committee on April 20, in response to concerns about the scope of crimes covered and operational challenges.

If passed, the legislation would represent one of the most direct attempts by a U.S. state to mandate visible safety warnings on dating app profiles. Putting aside the data-collection aspect, it would be an invaluable safety tool for users, but would also potentially require major backend changes to a number of platforms – especially those that may use anonymity as part of their gimmick.