Match.com Will Now Check Sex Offender Registry

Match.com has decided to check members against a national registry of sex offenders following a lawsuit—though the company says the move is not in direct response to the suit. A California entertainment executive sued for the action earlier this month after she was allegedly attacked by a Match.com member with a history of sex assault convictions. The president of the popular online dating site said executives had earlier considered such screenings, but concluded that the registries were "historically unreliable." But now, she said," a combination of improved technology and an improved database enables a sufficient degree of accuracy to move forward with this initiative."

Still, she said the company's new policy was no substitute for subscribers remaining vigilant on dates: "We want to stress that while these checks may help in certain instances, they remain highly flawed, and it is critical that this effort does not provide a false sense of security to our members." The policy will be implemented in the next 60 to 90 days, AP reports. Click for more on the alleged assault. (More Match.com stories.)