DontDateHimGirl.com

DontDateHimGirl.com
Web address dontdatehimgirl.com
Commercial? yes
Registration optional
Available in English
Created by Tasha Cunningham
Launched July, 2005
Current status online

DontDateHimGirl.com is a website launched in July 2005. It originally hosted anonymously submitted relationship stories cheating partners. In 2010 the website said it was removing the "database of alleged cads" and currently hosts dating advice and tips.

In a New York Times article, the site's founder Tasha Joseph likened it to a "dating credit report" for women.[1]

History

DontDateHimGirl.com was founded in 2005 by Tasha Joseph. Members were able to post anonymous reviews and photographs of cheating men to the site. When asked about the accuracy of reviews, Joseph said that the website terms and conditions required posted content to be true, and said that men could also join the website to respond to messages.[2]

In July 2010, the site issued a press release that it would be removing the "database of alleged cads" to refocus on "putting out quality content such as articles, videos and podcasts that help women learn to date better, forming content partnerships and creating engaging mobile platforms.”[3] However, as of July 2011, much of the database is still available to be accessed.

Controversies

The site has received criticism as a "reputation management system" which provides a venue for anonymously posting false, malicious or fraudulent profiles of men without an adequate means to correct them.[4]

In 2006, Todd Hollis, a Pennsylvania attorney, filed a suit against the website owner as well as two alleged posters and five unidentified women for various claims posted about him which he asserted were false and defamatory.[5] The lawsuit was initially dismissed in Pennsylvania for a lack of personal jurisdiction. The Electronic Frontier Foundation issued an amicus curiae brief in support of the site, arguing its owners were shielded from suits by the Communications Decency Act of 1996's Section 230.[6] In 2007, Hollis filed a second lawsuit in federal court in Florida which was settled with respect to the site operators in June 2008.[5] The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

A September 2006 article in the Miami New Times elaborated on a fabricated profile created to demonstrate that the "website is dangerous."[7] The New Times investigated a number of profiles and found claims made were on the whole, fallacious. One profile the New Times uncovered supposedly of a philandering ex-boyfriend was actually a gay man who had spurned a woman's advances.

In an August 2007 feature, ABC News referred to DontDateHimGirl as a "revenge site." [8] On the same day, the O'Reilly Factor referenced DontDateHimGirl as a "hate site."[9]

While it was announced in July 2010 that the profiles of the men on the site would be removed, as of June 2011, the database can still be accessed through the site's "posts" directory which are linked extensively on other websites.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Alvarez, Lizette (2006-02-16). "(Name Here) Is a Liar and a Cheat". New York Times. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  2. ↑ Olbermann, Keith (September 30, 2005). "Cheating men caught online". MSNBC.
  3. ↑ "DontDateHimGirl.com Set to Remove Postings of Alleged Cheaters from Site in 30 Days" (Press release). Businesswire.com. July 19, 2010.
  4. ↑ Tracey, Joe. "Reputation Management Systems, like "Don't Date Him Girl" Have Several Flaws to Work Out". OnlineDatingMagazine.com. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Hollis v Cunningham". Citizen Media Law Project. 2007-12-06. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  6. ↑ "Cases:DontDateHimGirl.com". Electronic Frontier Foundation. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  7. ↑ Green, Joanne (September 14, 2006). "Blind Date, Tasha Joseph's Website shows fiction is stranger than truth". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  8. ↑ "Internet Revenge Sites Challenge the Theory 'No Press Is Bad Press'". ABC News. 2007-08-08. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  9. ↑ O'Reilly, Bill (host); Ham, Mary Katharine (guest) (2007-08-08). The O'Reilly Factor (Television production). FOX News Channel. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  10. ↑ "Start of database posts". DontDateHimGirl.com. Retrieved 2011-06-03.
  11. ↑ "DontDateHimGirl.com/posts/ Google links". Google search. Retrieved 2011-06-03.

External links