Suitors, get real if you wanna get hitched

“On the Internet,” goes the punchline of a famous cartoon, “nobody knows you’re a dog.”

Online anonymity, of the sorts that the cartoon mocked, has unfunny consequences in the real world, particularly when imposters create fake accounts on matrimonial websites or otherwise harass advertisers.

Union Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi recently flagged the rising incidence of harassment, after receiving an avalanche of complaints from women.

Now, in order to crack down on such fakery, the Centre has come out with an advisory for matrimonial websites under which they must ensure real-name registration, with identity proof, so that imposters and harassers can be traced.

On Thursday, Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad approved the standards to keep a check on matrimonial sites. Under the advisory, the websites have been directed to maintain transparency in data collection of users, through valid ID proofs, such as passport or Aadhaar, and by setting up an ‘inbuilt grievance mechanism’.

According to sources, these websites/portals function as intermediaries as defined under the IT Act, 2000 (IT Act). “Accordingly, matrimonial sites are mandated to adhere to the provisions of the IT Act, 2000 and the Rules made thereunder,” a government official told BusinessLine .

Service providers of these sites should declare that the website is “strictly for matrimonial purpose only and not a dating website, and should not be used for posting any obscene material. Additionally, the website should provide a grievance officer’s name and contact details, the official said.

In order to track potential harassers, the websites should also retain details of the internet protocol (IP) address of the profile creator and access logs (date and time stamping) for one year from the date of deactivation of an account.

Matrimonial sites like matrimony.com did not respond to calls for comments. However, cyberlaw experts welcomed the step. “It is a step in the right direction,” said Pavan Duggal, Supreme Court advocate and cyberlaw expert.