Outrage over violence at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, is prompting tighter regulation for online sites and services — affecting even free-wheeling dating apps, the New York Times reported.
Just days after the Aug. 12 rally, the dating site OkCupid announced on Twitter it had banned a white nationalist, Christopher Cantwell, after a woman user recognized him in a report on the violence. After being contacted by the woman, app officials verified Cantwell's identity and "banned him for life."
The Times reported Cantwell eventually surrendered to police on charges related to his alleged illegal use of tear gas during a white supremacist march the night before the larger rally.
"We do not tolerate anyone who promotes racism or hatred — it's that simple," said Elie Seidman, OkCupid's chief executive, said in an email to The New York Times. "At OkCupid, our mission is to connect people based on substance — based on their shared sensibility. The privilege of being in our community does not extend to Nazis and supremacists."
OKCupid officials also urged site users to report anyone "involved in hate groups," the Times reported.
Another dating site, Bumble, also announced it's aiming to ban "all forms of hate" through a collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League.
OkCupid may have had good reasons to ban Cantwell, Jeremy Littau, an associate professor in the department of journalism and communication at Lehigh University, told the Times.
But "once they start policing peoples' beliefs offline it's not unreasonable to ask why they allow people who have other beliefs or behaviors that are repugnant," he told the Times.
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