PhoneConfirm has announced the launch of its Phone Identity Verification (PIV) service for the online dating industry.
The dirty little secret in the dating industry is that many dating profiles are fake and the industry doesn’t want the issue to see the light of day. That and the fact that up to 30% of some dating sites members are married, but that is a story for another day. PhoneConfirm aims to bring the issue to the forefront by linking profiles to verified phone numbers during the signup process.
One of the reasons Myspace removed 200k profiles is because they were going to be outed on national television and decided a Chief Security Officer was needed. In their case, the press was driving the issue of security amongst the 60 million + teens and twentysomethings on the site.
PhoneConfirm may work for paid dating sites, it’s going to be an uphill battle for free sites, which often do not require identifying information past an email address. Sating site executives understand that it’s imperative to make the signup process as smooth and hiccup-free as possible, otherwise visitors don’t become members as often. Will the verification process be a welcome addition or a hassle which drives users away?
There are many ways to thwart phone verification systems. Throwaway phone numbers, anonymous calling services, Skype, etc. If anything, the service may bring peace of mind to online daters.
One thing seems clear, phone verification systems seem easier to implement and less expensive than background checks. I think I would rather know if someone was an axe murderer or pedophile as opposed feeling warm and fuzzy that they have a cell phone.
I definitely want to demo this and go through the entire process.
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