After strict rules to ensure matrimonial sites not used for duping, an Aadhaar number for a Tinder account?
By: The Financial Express | Published: June 6, 2016 7:24 AM
With more Indians going online and digitising their search for life partners, the government proposes guidelines for matrimonial websites to monitor fraudulent content and fake profiles of potential suitors. (Reuters)
Twenty eight year old, 5’10”, fair, well-built boy, pretending to be an engineer, working in an MNC, seeking a 23-27 year old, beautiful, slim, unsuspecting girl to dupe? We regret to inform you that an alert government has just foiled your plans. With more Indians going online and digitising their search for life partners, the government proposes guidelines for matrimonial websites to monitor fraudulent content and fake profiles of potential suitors. Some of the measures include mandating users to upload verifiable identity proof, so your spouse-to-be can see that you are actually an unemployed, 37-year-old slob, and not the highly qualified engineer you claim to be. There are grief-redressal mechanisms, for that much needed counselling when they find out that everything about you was a lie. IP addresses are to be recorded, to hunt you down and seek revenge for being cheated.
Holding matrimonial websites responsible for their users’ misdeeds may seem to the free-market types like blaming the knife—and not the murderer—for killing a man. But you can never be too careful, especially in today’s times. Indeed, policies could be put in place to ensure any candidate doesn’t get to see more than a limited number of brides-to-be or perhaps lay down that a marriage has to take place within three months or be shamed in the online community as ineligible bachelors and bachelorettes. Given the government’s attention to detail, it is odd details of financials have not been asked for—how else will your bride-to-be know whether you can afford that honeymoon in Switzerland? And since online fraud is not restricted to matrimonial sites, it might be a good idea to demand Aadhaar information for creating a Tinder account.