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SuccessfulMatch.com customers have
filed a class action suit against the dating Web site conglomerate for posting
their HIV and STD statuses on multiple other Web sites, thus violating
confidentiality promises. The suit alleges that SuccessfulMatch lured HIV- and
STD-infected clients to join its PositiveSingles.com dating site by promising
that the site would keep their profiles anonymous and would not share
personally identifiable information. Although the PositiveSingles dating site
home page emphasized customers’ privacy, the claimants charged that
SuccessfulMatch shared personal information entered in the PositiveSingles.com
site with thousands of other Web sites operated by SuccessfulMatch.
The suit also stated that
SuccessfulMatch set up all its Web sites with identical formats and falsely
promised that each Web site was “unique” and “exclusive.” Claimants charged
that SuccessfulMatch designed its Web sites’ forms so that most members never
saw the Terms of Service, and members could not print out the Terms of Service.
Customers could obtain a copy of the Terms of Service only by personally
contacting SuccessfulMatch.com and requesting it. The Terms of Service
provisions gave Successful Match.com the right to share all profiles in
PositiveSingles.com, gave SuccessfulMatch the rights to all information entered
in the site, and gave the conglomerate permission to share the profiles.
The suit seeks class certification,
restitution, declaratory judgment, a permanent injunction against the
defendant’s business plan and collection of fees, and compensatory and punitive
damages.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus.
To learn more about The Friends of
AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
