Online safety has been an issue for some time, whether you use online dating or other social media, but for so long most issues have not been taken seriously. There have been several cases where individuals have met via a dating site, only to find out that the person they’re meeting is only doing so to swindle them out of their fortune ,whatever that may be.

When considering online dating, always weigh the pros and cons. Not all dating websites can be 100% safe. The above video details several tips you can use when either using or considering online dating. What are your opinions about online dating and the the safety risks? Would you ever try online dating for yourself? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed consumer fraud lawsuits against three suppliers and an affiliate marketer of acai berry products charging the companies lure customers with free online trial offers via aggressive Internet marketing tactics and then charge their credit cards prematurely.

 "For thousands of dieters, the quest for a miracle product has become a nightmare," said Attorney General Madigan. "Far too often, consumers end up losing their money – not weight – in these deals."

Lisa Madigan
Illinois Attorney General

 In addition, Harpo, Inc, producers of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and "The Dr. Oz Show" along with Dr. Mehmet Oz, filed a trademark infringement complaint against 40 Internet marketers of dietary supplements, including acai berry products among others. Neither Winfrey nor Dr. Oz ever endorsed any acai berry or dietary supplement.

 Named in the lawsuits are Advanced Wellness Research, Crush LLC and its owner, TMP Nevada, Inc. and Larby Amirouche, an affiliate marketer that uses search engines, pop-up ads, websites, and advertising on social networks to drive traffic to suppliers websites.

 The complaint alleges that many consumers did not receive shipment of the trial supplements before they were billed and the companies made it nearly impossible to cancel future orders.

 The suits are asking the court for a permanent injunction barring the companies from selling dietary supplements and continuing with misleading marketing schemes. The lawsuits also ask the court to pay restitution for consumers who have lost money and civil penalties of $50,000 for violating consumer fraud laws.

 "We must hold these Internet scammers accountable for their role in a seedy marketing game that steers unsuspecting consumers to online schemes," Madigan said.

 "We also need to send a clear message to other marketers and networks in the business of designing misleading, traffic enticing schemes."

Illinois state senator Matt Murphy, a republican, has introduced a bill entitled the “Social Networking Web Site Prohibition Act” which would effectively ban the surfing of any social network sites from computers in public school libraries.

Here are some excerpts from the bill courtesy of Michael Stephens:

Senate Bill 1682
Creates the Social Networking Web site Prohibition Act. Provides that each public library must prohibit access to social networking Web sites on all computers made available to the public in the library. Provides that each public school must prohibit access to social networking Web sites on all computers made available to students in the school. Provides for enforcement by the Attorney General or a citizen. Amends the State Mandates Act to require implementation without reimbursement. Effective January 1, 2008.

Section 10. Prohibition. Each public library must prohibit:
Access to social networking websites on all computers made available to the public in the library. Each school must prohibit access to social networking websites on all computers made available to students in the school.

Section 15. Enforcement.
If a public library or school fails to comply with Section 10 of this Act, the Attorney General or a citizen of this State is authorized to seek enforcement as provided in this Section. The Attorney General or a citizen shall first mail to the applicable administrative unit or school board a notice of intended civil action for enforcement that shall identify each public library or school location at which a violation is alleged to have occurred and shall specify the facts and circumstances of the alleged violation of Section 10.

The first thing that sticks out to me is that the bill really does nothing to define what a “social network” looks like. This could leave a lot of room for creative interpretation by agenda-driven politicians and bureaucrats by allowing this to pick and choose which websites are banned and which are not.

Oddly enough, a blanket ban of this type in Illinois schools would prevent students from accessing Barack Obama’s social network, which the presidential hopeful plans to use as a means of massing support for his campaign, and as a platform for residence to speak on the issues.

But hey, those kids aren’t young enough to vote anyway, right? Why would they need to be informed?

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In recent months, the government has taken nearly every (conflicting) stand possible on Microsoft. The Justice Department decided it would take no action against the company after investigating antitrust issues at the urging of the attorneys general of 17 states. A U.S. District Judge then saw the need to extend federal oversight of Microsoft through 2009, also due to antitrust matters. Most recently, the Department of Defense announced it would collaborate in the development of Microsoft’s Virtual Earth mapping project.

Google very probably views the takeover of the Illinois site as a triumph. According to QCTimes: “Faced with numerous complaints about its Web site, the state recently agreed to pay $30,000 to Google Inc. to take over the searching capabilities on the General Assembly’s Web site.” The bragging rights and morale boost likely form a larger boon for Google than the financial compensation. The General Assembly’s home page even states, in larger-than-average red print at the top, “Note: A new search engine has been implemented.”

The Google Search Appliance is the particular branch of the search engine corporation that can claim victory. At the starting price for which the General Assembly purchased it, the Search Appliance can hunt through up to 500,000 documents, according to its web page. Looking at the Illinois website, that should more than cover it.

And so this round goes to Google. But Microsoft’s soon-to-be released (in test form) Windows Live Search client could shift the balance yet again.

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Doug is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest eBusiness news.