XPost: alt.gossip.celebrities, alt.politics.democrats.d, sac.general   
   XPost: alt.rush-limbaugh   
   From: Davecross@kremlin.ru   
      
   Deonte Fisher, a 26-year-old from the suburbs of Chicago, rose   
   quickly this year to become a VIP streamer on MeetMe, an app   
   that combines dating with live-streaming. Fisher amassed around   
   $50,000 worth of virtual “diamonds,” according to a screen   
   image, which are tokens that streamers can earn from virtual   
   gifts sent by users. By this month, he was the app’s 58th most   
   popular streamer, with around 16,000 fans, and posted photos of   
   himself attending company-sponsored events.   
      
   But Fisher’s success on MeetMe, where he was known as “Yogi   
   Bear,” came within weeks of his release from prison in February   
   after being convicted of a sex offense involving a minor — a   
   felony that should have prevented him from being on the app,   
   according to MeetMe’s website. Fisher appears in the Illinois   
   sex offender database, where it says he molested a 15-year-old   
   when he was 20.   
      
   MeetMe says it checks users to ensure they aren’t convicted sex   
   offenders by comparing the names they provide to MeetMe with   
   online databases that list registered sex offenders. The website   
   of MeetMe’s parent company, the Meet Group, claims it is the   
   industry leader in policing harmful content. The company says   
   it’s one of the few dating apps that screens for registered sex   
   offenders.   
      
   But the company has been the subject of lawsuits for allegedly   
   enabling sexual predators to target minors. A lawsuit filed last   
   month claims a 26-year-old man was murdered by a person he met   
   on MeetMe who had been charged with violent crimes.   
      
   Meet Group spokeswoman Brandyn Bissinger said Fisher used a   
   different last name in his profile, and that is why he didn’t   
   show up in sex offender registries. Bissinger added that Fisher   
   connected to MeetMe through a Facebook login, where he used a   
   different last name. However, Fisher’s email address that the   
   company used to contact him about his VIP status contained his   
   entire real name.   
      
   “Our number one priority is providing a safe environment for our   
   over 15 million monthly users to connect and interact,”   
   Bissinger said. “We are an industry leader in promoting safety   
   standards and are continuously working to advance our efforts.”   
      
   It’s unclear how much Fisher was paid by the Meet Group, but the   
   amount the company paid him was beyond the threshold that would   
   have required the company to file an IRS 1099 form documenting   
   the earnings, according to a person familiar with the matter.   
      
   The fact that a convicted sex offender could become one of   
   MeetMe’s VIPs and most popular streamers underscores how   
   ineffective current methods of online screening are at stamping   
   out harmful content and behavior. There has been a proliferation   
   of social networking apps, but many have insufficient controls   
   to protect users. While companies say they use new technology,   
   such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, to keep   
   predators at bay, those methods have proved largely ineffective,   
   according to online safety groups — especially as video becomes   
   more popular, which is harder to screen.   
      
   Chat apps have become magnets for predators, according to law   
   enforcement officials. Another chat app owned by the Meet Group,   
   Skout, had hundreds of reviews in Apple’s App Store that   
   mentioned unwanted sexual content, according to a Washington   
   Post investigation last month. That analysis did not include the   
   MeetMe app, but the two share some functionality. Live streams   
   on Skout can appear on MeetMe and vice versa.   
      
   Live streamers on MeetMe are a cross between YouTube   
   personalities and disc jockeys. They develop followings through   
   antics like playing dress-up or discussing Star Wars. But they   
   also interact in real time with viewers, who type questions that   
   anyone viewing the stream can read. Live streams on MeetMe act   
   as digital ice breakers for romantic relationships. Viewers can   
   send virtual gifts, like roses, which translate into real   
   earnings for the broadcasters. Interactions that occur on live   
   streams can transition to private conversations. That, according   
   to child safety experts, is where dangerous situations can   
   spiral out of control. There’s no evidence that Fisher displayed   
   any unwanted sexual behavior on MeetMe.   
      
   MeetMe is available on Apple’s App Store, where on Thursday it   
   was ranked the 37th most popular app in social networking. Apple   
   gets a cut of payments that take place on MeetMe, such as the   
   virtual gifts. Under the age-rating section, Apple warns users   
   of intense and suggestive themes, mild sexual content and nudity   
      
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