What could stop internet deception?
There is a certain level of anonymity on the internet that makes it very comfortable for even honest people to lie. We have all heard about people misrepresenting themselves on online dating websites. Fake internet profiles have become a cliché for numerous Hollywood comedies. People lie about their age, marital status and level of income. Posting outdated, PhotoShopped or fake photographs has become today’s standard in online dating. This phenomenon has caused frustration, mistrust and heartache and forced many singles away from the online dating world. And yet, no dating website has yet to combat internet deception.
Why doesn’t the online dating industry battle this phenomenon?
It’s simple, fighting misrepresentation is not profitable. Additional security costs and closing the doors to a large portion of your clientele would create huge losses for these corporations. All online dating websites focus on large quantities of members. In an ideal world, online dating would be a perfect solution for today’s busy, career-oriented singles. But that would be the case only if dating sites verified the identity of their members, if there were consequences to lying on your profile, and if they screened their members to prevent disappointments right at the registration stage.
The first website in the world that screens and verifies their members was born right here in Canada, in fact, a group of entrepreneurs from Toronto are taking the first step in creating improved online dating. After a year of research and development they’ve completed Eligon.ca, a private single’s community for executives and high-profile professionals. You apply to this website with a resume, sign a legal agreement stating that all the information you’ve given is true, and give consent to ID verification. At this point they screen their members according to a formula that evaluates eligibility by: level of management, education and, of course, income. If an applicant is accepted, they verify his or her details with a non invasive ID report from a credit agency alongside other security measures.Alexander Ratz, one of the founders, says “These methods are as close to perfect as we can get, as we aren’t able to physically see our applicants – but we are doing as much as possible with the means we have available to us today.”
The bad news is that this service is offered to Ontario’s elite only, but plans are in place to launch a Canada wide website by August 2009.
Applying to this club does not cost money. If you are an executive looking for love you can try your luck here.
Could this be the beginning of a new generation of online dating? For now, all others have to settle for regular dating websites and hope that soon enough all other sites follow Eligon’s lead.
