Should Internet dating sites be required to attempt to screen out the profiles of sexual predators? A woman who claims she was raped by a man she met on Match.com thinks so. She’s suing the company and is asking for an injunction to stop match.com from signing up any new members until the company starts screening for bad guys. After her “date,” she found out—via the Internet—that the guy whom she says raped her had a history of sexual battery.

The attorney for the guy in question says, “What actually went on (was) a consensual sexual encounter between two consenting adults.”

The match.com attorney says, “The company clearly states on its website it does not do background checks,” and so is clearly not liable.

Whatever happened, and however regrettable and/or criminal the incident was—no, we don’t think it is reasonable to require online dating services to screen out the bad men (or women, for that matter.) Can we require the same of, say, bars and nightclubs? No, we didn’t think so. The requirement would be no guarantor of safety. There have been some dating sites that claim to offer background checks, and we’re a little skeptical of the offers. Can you imagine the liability to such a company if just one predator slipped through, after they promised customers otherwise?

We’re not blaming the victim. But we’re not blaming the dating service, either.