HB0249 - Internet Dating Disclosure and Safety Awareness Act

• Online dating service providers offering services to Illinois residents must disclose whether they conduct sex offender registry searches on members who provide an Illinois billing address or zip code.

• Providers that do NOT conduct searches must display a specific warning in bold capital letters at least 12 points, no more than 3 inches from the top of the registration page, stating "NO SEX OFFENDER REGISTRY SEARCH IS DONE ON MEMBERS WHO USE THIS SERVICE."

• Providers that DO conduct sex offender searches must display a disclosure identifying any member found on a sex offender registry and must notify that member of the results within a specified timeframe, allowing 10 days to dispute accuracy.

• Providers conducting searches must establish a link to a safety awareness notification page warning that sex offender searches are not foolproof and providing safety measures for safer dating practices.

• Failure to comply with disclosure requirements constitutes an unlawful business practice under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, with each failure to provide required disclosure counting as a separate violation.