Published April 18, 2011 | Associated Press

LOS ANGELES--Singles website that match.com said Sunday that the screening of its users against the national sex offender registry will begin after a woman filed a lawsuit against the company say that they had been attacked by someone she met through the popular dating service.

Mandy Ginsberg, President of Match.com, told The Associated Press in a statement that the company considered such screenings had for years, but "their historical unreliability has always led us to conclude against it."

Ginsberg said after the conversation with providers and advisers over the last few days, company officials decided to make a change.

"We have asked that a combination of improved technology and an improved database now allows a sufficient degree of accuracy to continue with this initiative, despite the constant imperfection."

Last week, a California woman filed a lawsuit against the website, saying that she was sexually assaulted while on a second date at a West Hollywood-cafDe by a man she met via Match.com. The suit said the attack could have been avoided with a good background check and demanded that Match.com start screening for sexual predators.

Of the company move to the user was already considered and came not in direct response to the lawsuit, but the timing of the decision was precipitated by the attention of the suit, spokesman Match.com Matthew Traub.

Ginsberg said that the new policy of the company was no substitute for subscribers on dates remain vigilant.

"We want to stress that, while these checks can help in some cases, they remain very flawed, and it is crucial that this effort is not a false sense of security to our members."

The company offers a variety of safety tips to its users, including always gather for the first time in public, tell a friend or family member where the date will take place, and to remain sober.

Match said that it expects the implementation of the policy in 60 to 90 days.

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