CBS News reported in February that rapists and sex offenders are using dating websites to lure women online, http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2016/02/02/rapists-luring-women-through-online-dating-sites/. Even though we know that online predators are using these sites as hunting grounds, there has been little action taken by legislators to prevent this dangerous activity.

With violence against women continuing to be a major issue plaguing our society, and nothing being done by those in charge to stop it, we have a moral obligation as citizens to protect our mothers, sisters, and daughters from harm. It is time to initiate change and demand those in power to take action against these violent criminals, by requiring all convicted violent criminals and sex offenders to report any social networking site use to police.

Having had to experience the helpless feelings that come with having a loved one be the victim of a violent crime, which is nothing compared to the harmful effects felt by the victims themselves, I have seen first-hand how damaging the acts of online predators can be. That is why I take my work on the KATIA Project, a web-based, screening program designed to protect women using online dating sites (https://www.toddandclare.com/katia), so seriously.

As one of the scientists behind the KATIA technology, which uses facial recognition technology and linguistic analysis to identify online predators, I have seen the enormous number of men preying on the women in our lives, and that is why I am so committed to bringing about changes in the laws that allow this despicable behavior to occur.

Currently, sex offenders and people on probation have to report their place of residence and other information to law enforcement upon their release, which serves as a way to monitor their activities and prevent future crimes.

Similarly, requiring these violent criminals to report their social networking site accounts and activity to law enforcement would serve as a non-invasive deterrent to stop these online predators from using dating sites to lure unsuspecting women and children.

This additional term of their release could be enacted quickly and efficiently, while still serving as an effective means of keeping social networking sites safe. It would not be an invasion of their privacy, and it would not even have to be public information to be a powerful deterrent. Merely knowing that law enforcement could be monitoring their online activities could be enough to stop these predators from claiming more victims.

With powerful, life-saving tools like KATIA, which can identify abusive men even if they change their appearance or use a fake name, being developed and becoming more accessible, women will be able to better prevent being hurt by online predators.

No matter how advanced KATIA becomes though (a 60-day, crowd-source funding campaign was launched March 1st to raise money for the next version of KATIA, KATIA Plus, https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1873745076/katia-plus-saving-womens-lives), without changes in the laws that allow these abusive men to use social networking sites to find their prey, this problem wreaking havoc on our society will never end.

By passing legislation that requires sex offenders and other violent criminals to report their social networking site use, law enforcement agencies will have the ability to better monitor the online activities of men who have already proven to be a danger to women, which is a logical starting point for creating change.

Violence against women is a major issue that affects all of us, and it is not going to disappear on its own. It is going to take action by all of us, as responsible citizens of the greatest nation in the world, to put an end to the harmful acts committed by these online predators. This includes the people we have elected to protect our lives, liberties, and happiness, which is why your support and signature on this petition is so important.

Do not let these violent criminals turn online dating sites, which are meant to be a means to bring love and happiness to your life, into their own personal hunting grounds. We have to come together to protect the mothers and daughters in our lives, demand change, and put an end to these heinous acts of violence once and for all.