Technology
hasn't just revolutionised how people live and work, it is increasingly
responsible for how they fall in love.
Online dating services have become the norm for singles, transformed how people with increasingly busy lives juggle the search for a partner.
This form of dating offers a range of benefits, including convenience and access to a much wider circle of potential matches, but it doesn't come without risk.
Unfortunately, some people see the anonymity of the internet as a license to say or do things they would never consider in person.
These inappropriate actions, such as unwanted explicit text messages or images, can be extremely distressing for the person receiving them. For the sender, they can also amount to criminal behavior.
Laws that apply in ordinary life, including those relating to harassment, intimidation or stalking, extend into the digital space.
There are also specific laws that provide protections from harassment that is carried out using a mobile phone or other electronic device.
Using a computer, tablet, mobile phone or even a dating app to harass or offend someone — including by sending unwanted sexual advances or images — is taken very seriously, and in the most extreme circumstances can lead to a sentence of three years in prison.
Even consensual images, if misused, can become criminal matters.
The consensual sharing of sexually explicit images, often referred to as sexting, has resulted in concerning cases of intimidation and harassment.
It increasingly hard to destroy photographs or other digital information, and social media has made it easier than ever for those images to be shared without the victims knowledge or consent.
In some cases, former partners have even threatened to send explicit material to a victims family, friends or colleagues to force them to do something.
Online dating can be incredibly convenient, but it is essential users understand the potential risks along with the legal obligations to act in an appropriate manner.
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