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- Oregon police are searching for an attempted murder suspect accused of holding and beating a woman.
- Police say the suspect may be using a dating app to seek out potential victims or anyone who could help him escape.
- A victims’ rights attorney told Insider that companies should do more to keep their apps safe.
Oregon police have launched a manhunt for an attempted murder suspect. They say they use dating apps to target “unprotected individuals.”
A major dating site said it couldn’t find anyone matching the suspect’s name and was monitoring him, but a victims’ rights attorney told Insider on Tuesday, “Notice of this violence. Now that it has been received, the company “should be held accountable,” said the user. “
“Online companies should be responsible for keeping apps safe, not the public,” Carrie Goldberg, a New York-based sex crimes attorney, told Insider.
The Grants Pass Police Department in Oregon said 36-year-old suspect Benjamin Obadiah Foster used a dating app to “may have been lured into helping the suspect get away” with additional potential suspects. He said he was finding victims and people.
Authorities launched a search for Foster after finding a woman “tied up, severely beaten and unconscious” at her Grants Pass, Oregon, home on January 17. She was hospitalized in critical condition.
The suspect fled the scene before officers arrived, but is wanted by police on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder and assault.
Authorities are offering a $2,500 reward to anyone with information leading to Foster’s arrest and prosecution. Police described the man as “extremely dangerous”.
In revealing the suspect was using a dating app, Grants Pass Police said they “hope the community is safer while this predator is still on the run.” said that anyone who may have been helping Foster escape “will face potential odds.” foundation. “
A spokesperson for Match Group, which owns a suite of dating apps including Tinder, Match.com, Hinge, OKCupid and Plenty of Fish, told Insider that no one with the suspect’s name has been found on the platform. Told.
Additionally, a spokesperson for dating app Bumble told Insider that the company’s team “is working around the clock to identify members based on the information available at this time.”
“As of now, we have not found a member named Benjamin Obadiah Foster on the Bumble app,” the spokesperson added.
Goldberg said all dating apps “must be aware that this violent and dangerous user is a potential customer who may be using their product as a hunting ground. ‘ said.
According to Goldberg, if an app claims that “their product is too big to manage users or exempts them from liability,” that’s no excuse and should be challenged in court. .
Goldberg says people are trying to sue dating apps for actual violence. The alleged woman decided she should be able to sue Match.
However, in 2017 a district court judge ruled that Match “has no obligation to control the dangerous conduct of others or to warn others of unsafe conduct. However, a special relationship exists and harm may be caused by: except when caused by a foreseeable act.”
It’s unclear whether Match Group or Bumble warned users about the Oregon suspect, and neither company said if they did so when asked by the Insider.
Meanwhile, police said last week that authorities, including federal agents and the Oregon State Police SWAT team, raided a home in Josephine County, Oregon, where they seized Foster’s 2008 Nissan Sentra.
During the search, investigators arrested a 68-year-old woman for obstructing prosecution, police said.
“After a lengthy search, Foster likely received assistance to avoid capture and flee the area,” the Grants Pass Police Department said.
The agency warned last weekend that Foster “may be trying to change his appearance by shaving his beard, shaving his hair, or changing his hair color,” adding that Foster’s “facial structure and eyes are so distinctive.” Please pay close attention,” he said. Very difficult to change. ”
Sightings of Foster have flooded police stations, with police saying they are “sure that this dangerous criminal will be apprehended soon with the help of concerned citizens.”
Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman told CNN on Monday that Foster had a “previous relationship” with a victim accused of torture.
“This wasn’t a random attack,” Hensman told the news outlet, adding, “I’ve seen a lot in my career, but some are things that stick with you and this. will remain in my memory for many years to come.”
According to CNN, Clark County, Nevada court records show that Foster was previously accused of attacking a woman he had an affair with in two different cases.
A spokesman for the Nevada Department of Corrections told Insider that in the first case, Foster was sentenced to 12 to 30 months in prison for battery with serious bodily injury and will be released from the prison system on Oct. 18, 2021. He said he was taken to a holding facility.
Foster was released the same day “for pre-sentence incarceration,” a spokesperson said.
In the second case, he was charged with felony assault, battery, and kidnapping in 2019, CNN reported.According to CNN, Foster took plea deals against both.
Stay safe on dating apps
Dating app security is tricky, cybersecurity expert George Grisspos told Insider. He said the law could provide more protection for dating apps. For example, a legislator could make it a law requiring dating apps to provide official documents to all users to verify their identities.
According to information technology expert Kim-Kwang Raymond Choo, requiring identity verification is not difficult to implement in a dating app. However, dating apps may dislike the idea because there are practical implications to consider, such as whether users upload copies of their girlfriend IDs.
You might also wonder if dating apps can pose privacy issues, such as what happens if a security breach occurs.Dating apps containing identity information compromised or compromised If you do, it could affect your reputation.
Grispos said users of personal dating apps should be careful when interacting with strangers online. Educational institutions can help by educating young students and women about cybersecurity and how to stay safe online.
This is also common sense.
“I think people should try to meet new dates in open public places – let friends and family know,” he said.
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