SOUTHEAST TEXAS RECORD

PLANO (Legal Newsline) – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced a settlement Wednesday with the operator of the national dating service True.com to secure privacy protections for the site’s members.

The settlement requires the Plano-based True Beginnings to put a security program in place to protect the confidentiality of its members’ information, state in its privacy policy how it protects and manages private member information, develop and maintain an accurate and up-to-date privacy policy, comply with Texas law by giving members accurate information on whether it conducts criminal background checks of applicants and obtain members’ consent to transfer its members’ private information to a third-party buyer.

True Beginnings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection more than a year ago and is moving forward to reorganize under a plan to be approved by a federal judge. In October, Abbott filed an objection to True.com’s proposed sale of its 43 million member database to a Canadian service as part of the bankruptcy process. Under the terms of the agreement, True.com will not release the members’ private information to third parties without their informed consent.

The Internet Dating Safety Act of Texas requires that dating sites conduct comprehensive criminal background checks as defined by state law or provide a statement on their sites that they do not conduct such background checks. Under the terms of the settlement, True Beginnings will now provide information on criminal background checks to its members.