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The signers represent the states of Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In the letter, dated Monday, the attorneys wrote that they are "gravely concerned that sexual predators are using MySpace to lure children into face-to-face encounters and other dangerous activities." They cited estimates from Sentinel Tech Holding that suggest there may be "thousands" of registered sex offenders with MySpace profiles. That figure surpasses a Wired magazine writer's recent tally of 744.
"Sex offenders have no business being on this site," North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said in a statement. "We believe MySpace has a responsibility to get them off the site."
The attorneys' letter requests that MySpace respond by May 29 with a count of how many registered sex offenders' profiles have been found on the site. Additionally, they ask that MySpace disclose how it is dealing with those sex offenders' removal from the site, explain how it alerts other members who may have communicated with them, and how law enforcement officials are being informed.
In January, MySpace was sued by the parents of several teenage girls who were allegedly assaulted by adults whom they met on the site. While MySpace has a history of compliance with investigations like these, and offers some safety measures of its own, many lawmakers remain critical that it's still not doing enough.
"We agree with the attorneys general that keeping bad people out of good places on the Internet is a challenge and a priority," Hemanshu Nigam, MySpace's chief security officer, said in a statement from MySpace that was released Monday afternoon. "We are in the initial stages of cross referencing our membership against Sentinel's registered sex offender database and removing any confirmed matches."
According to Nigam, additional government action would help MySpace. "Mandatory sex offender e-mail registration legislation--which is now being considered at the federal level and in several states," he said, "would significantly expedite this process and help keep sex offenders off our sites."
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MySpace,
Hemanshu Nigam,
attorney,
News Corp.,
North Carolina
Even though it is entirely possible to only use MySpace to speak only with adults aparrently several States Attorneys General, have determined that these particuler ex-cons cannot use MySpace.
By all means monitor them if you feel you must, but there is no justification to single out those who have done their time with extra prohibitions that are not equally applied under the law.
I would gladly vote for a law that restricts the rights of people found guilty of sex crimes; including the right to use popular social networking sites where children and adults can interact with each other. The catch is being found guilty vs. actually being guilty or (falsely accused). Perhaps juries can help decide the level of restriction to compensate. I wish I had a good solution for this.
I also agree that MySpace has a responsibility to police its users. It is not a substitute for good parenting. It is a measure to prevent the largest social network on the internet from becoming a haven for sexual predators whom are generally despised in our society.
This goes along the same lines as laws that the FDA has to protect the food we eat. People do not want sexual predators mingling with our children just like we do not want hamburger meat from tainted cows in our supermarkets. We trust the FDA to keep the farmers in line. Who do we trust to keep the internet safe?
Also, these "ex-cons" are a very special group.
I developed teh first sex offender tracking system for NH State Police, so I think I come from an informed position.
I'd encourage you to read a lot more about this issue and try to understand why 6 attorneys general would get together to discuss this matter and send MySpace a letter about it.
Anyone can open a free email account and register a profile on MySpace (or any other site for this matter) within minutes.
Perhaps one of those politicians can come up with how can any website validate users' information and still be in compliance with all the privacy laws in this country. It looks especially silly when in most states (probably including some of those states whose AGs sent this silly letter) their police officers cannot ask someone they're arresting about their immigration status (let alone whether they'er on the sex offenders list).
Silly
I don't think MySpace will have as much of a problem with this issue as you seem to.
childs existence, then who?
Before some arrogant wanna-be parent [1] starts up with the old
"won't someone please think of the children" garbage, think of
who you would hold responsible if you dropped your kids in a
bad neighborhood in town and left them there unsupervised for
hours on end. The internet just makes that easier.
[1] - NO, having sex and carrying a child for 9 months doesn't
make you a fit parent. Caring for the child for the next 18 years
is what parenthood is all about. If you can't live with that, you
can get an abortion in this country ... or use condoms, or "pull
out in time", or just don't have sex. If you can't do the time,
don't do the crime.
Poor parenting is not always the explanation. The kid was 5 and done nothing to invite this intrusion.
Maybe the previous posters haven't seen NBC's "To Catch A Predator," or have and still don't care.
Maybe they don't know how brutal a rape can be to a survivor, or that a rape victim may also be murdered after an attack. This crime is often devastating to victims' families as well.
Maybe they think everyone who is registered as a sex offender is actually someone who drunk one night, caught peeing in someone's bushes late some Saturday night, or some other trivial matter like that.
Maybe they don't know that sex offenders are classified by groups according to the severity of their crime, not just randomly assigned the label of "sex offender."
Maybe they don't know that much of the research on sex offenders indicates that they don't heal; they remain prone to reoffending. So "they did their time" is quite a different situation as compared to breaking-and-entering or drug possession, etc.
Maybe they don't know that some offenders strive to avoid detection by moving to different states and not registering (imagine that...an attacker roaming and no one in his locale knows he's dangerous). For this reason, there is a national registration database in the works.
If states have people registered as sex offenders, then these people are dangers in the community and to young MySpace users.
I'm sure MySpace will do the responsible thing and begin a program of monitoring or blocking these offenders. I think everyone else ought to be responsible enough to support them in their efforts.
Rick Bell
Boston, MA
Sure we would be safer in a police state that can lock up "undesirables" indefinitely, but newsflash, freedom is sometimes messy and will not give you perfect safety, but I will take freedom.
BTW: Its funny how European research on sex offenders doesn't tar them with the same incurable recidivist brush that U.S. Law enforcement backed studies do.
Yes there are bad people out there, but until truly independent studies are done, we will just get all this "but think of the children" crap that the politicians are trying to force down our throat, and have no real measure to judge against.
The letter to Myspace states that some on the person are using their REAL NAMES. Isn't it the responsibility of that State where the offender is registered to keep track of what the predator is doing? Passing the buck to Myspace is not being responsible. These AG's want someone else to do the job that their own state is supposed to be doing.
Myspace, based in California, is not an arm of an AG on the East Coast. These AG need to their own local law enforcement what they have done to prevent verify registered offenders under their supervising on not on Myspace. Myspace is not to blame for a sexual offender using their real being on Myspace.
The State Agency that is supposed to tract the predators actions is to blame for allowing a predator to be on Myspace with their real name.
Passing the Buck is never responsible.
offender" business. Pretty much anything you have to say is
meaningless, pandering drivel.
>>>
If states have people registered as sex offenders, then these people are dangers in the community and to young MySpace users.
>>>
Registered sex offenders:
rapist of old ladies
sheepherder who boffed a woolie
window peeping pervert who squirts on bushes
a drunk pissing an a parking meter
an 18 year old senior who boffed a freshman girl and got lit up by some assnine DA.
None of the above by classification are dangers to young kids on myspace yet I see no where that the AG's have classified offenders to ferret out certain ones. And EACH INDIVIDUAL STATE decides who is included and why.
The difference between crimes such as robbery and crimes such as sexual assault is the huge amount if issues the victim suffers AFTER the attack...often fear and psychological issues last a lifetime. This is why the "special" laws for sex offenders are necessary. They should have to pay for their crimes as long as their victims are still suffering...even acquaintance, or "date" rape victims, who were not subject to any violence, have deep-rooted trauma that can take decades to get over.
Having personally been the victim of 2 aggravated assaults, one of which was with a firearm, I can attest that I can go to sleep at night without worrying one bit whether my attacker is coming back...the 2nd one got 50 years for his various crimes.
However, the personal nature of sexual crimes along with the mental anguish from the incident last a lifetime...I had a close female friend at one time who had been stalked and sexually assaulted by a former boyfriend. Her issues were many, and it affected every facet of her life and interpersonal relationships.
If you cannot see the difference between sexual assault or other violent felonies, then I suggest you volunteer for a local rape crisis center or attend a few trials of sexual assault suspects. If that does not change your mind, then I would have to say that you are either totally ignorant or just trying to plan your defense in advance when you commit a sex offense.
I've got it. They can insert a GPS tracker up every ones *** and have that x-man guy track all of us and our whereabouts in his big cartoon head inside that hugh dome sitting on the end of his runway in his wheelchair. That way we'll all be safe and never have to think or do any parenting or say no to anyone or ever treat anyone unfairly. GROW UP!
What ever happened to personal responsibility?
GROW UP!
And what is the answer to the nutbar that beat up the 92 year old vet yesterday? Take away his myspace privileges?
Social networking is a new field on the Web. As people perpetrate crimes with the help of such websites, these businesses will be called upon by the public to do their part in minimizing the risks. In Business Ethics class, we called that social responsibility.
Last Year, my family went thru some tough times as our son had a lapse of judgement and runaway. Missing for 2 weeks but now He is back, safe with us once again. I have to tell you that it was the most grueling and worst feeling I've felt in my life. I don't wish this on any mom or parent.
For days there was no clue to where we could find him then suddenly we had a break. A popular site Myspace.com have the information that would lead us to where our son is. Unfortunately Myspace.com denied us of that information, sighting that it is a PRIVACY ISSUE.
Since MySpace.com Terms of Use Agreement under #12 Disclaimers. include the following,
"Under no circumstances shall MySpace.com be responsible for any loss or damage, including personal injury or death"
I guess they do not feel any kind of responsibility or have the GOOD CONSCIENCE of divulging that information that would lead to the location of a Missing Minor Child who they are aware could be in grave danger.
I am very glad we found our son, No thanks to Myspace.com. I am also very sad and furious that such people(Myspace.com Founders, Tom Anderson & Chris DeWolfe), such company with NO GOOD CONSCIENCE exist.
Just because you love your child doesn't mean that truly abusive parents couldn't have tried to get the same type of data from MySpace for a runaway that truly needed to be elsewhere.
Peace
>> "Under no circumstances shall MySpace.com be responsible for any loss or damage, including personal injury or death"
Depending on how old the Son is, this clause is not enforceable since he may not be old enough to make a valid contract by agreeing to this waiver.
They can't because their collective investigations are not good enough to obtain one.
Thank you for stopping by ... have a nice day.
Many people want to impose heavy restrictions of where released offenders can live, work, travel to, shop, talk to, and do in life. Some want to have identifing license plates on their cars.
After they have paid their debt to society in jail, they are still heavily heavily punished.
All of these issues were restricted when they were in jail.
So if this person is really a threat to the community, they should remain in jail.
If their current jail sentences have are enough, then they should not have so many restrictions on them.
You can't monitor someone outside of jail like they are inside jail. So either stop the strict monitoring or extend the jail sentence.
A possible explaination is that these legal issues have to be sorted out somehow, and MySpace just happens to be the testing ground. After laws are implemented, then they will be issued to all other internet sites in the world.
Or maybe many of these parents and politicians don't realize there is actually more to the internet than MySpace. Just like AOL was _the internet_ for many years for many subscribers.
You can't legislate everything in the world. But you can educate your kids.
If a child believes a 40 year old stranger who says "I want to be your friend. Come over to my house," on MySpace, well that could happen anywhere.
Have you ever noticed how many news stories report a stranger in real life approaching a child and the child reporting strange questions to parents/school officials/police? How do they know to do that? Because the kid was educated on what to do. So educate your child about what to look out for and how to respond and who to ask for guidance. Education works. So do it.
Hi there pretty lady you sure are sexy!
If I was a girl and got that from a 56 year old man I would puke!
Just because MySpace (et. al.) can be used in a certain way does not automatically mean that any given individual will use it that way. MySpace is a private entity and, as such, should be allowed to conduct it's business in a reasonable manner. But, when you have a government and a public that's used to dictating "social responsibility" to everyone and everything but themselves, when neither the government nor the public displays any in themselves, what do you expect?
Please spare me. Protect the children????????
How about: "PROTECT YOUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS!!!"
Such as remember your: "RIGHT TO PRIVACY"
REMEMBER: "YOUR RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS"
REMEMBER: "YOUR RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT"
REMEMBER: "YOUR RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH"
REMEMBER: "YOUR RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS"
No, instead we have pure scum losers who sit back and say, yeah I don't like sex offenders and go along with whatever politician's tie into that. Instead people look at the FACTS, you yes you the person who thinks they are educated yet only went to Ball State or some other mediocre school, WAKE UP you are being suckered into losing all your rights and they are slowly bleeding you of them, No I'm not saying PANIC BIG BROTHER IS HERE TODAY, I'm saying look up the definition of slippery slope and really spend atleast 2 hours thinking about exactly what that means. WAKE UP, we are giving too much power to a police state. LAW ENFORCEMENT in this country is getting out of hand, where very soon there will be only 2 kinds of people. COPS or CRIMINALS, if you are a COP (Law Enforcement) you will be protected by the brotherhood unless you do something truly outrageous such as a cold-killing caught on video. If you are not a COP you will get a DUI,CHILD NEGLECT,SEX OFFENDER STATUS for simply watching porn in your home and having an underage child happen to catch a glimpse viewing through your window without your knowledge,YOU WILL ARGUE ON AN AIRPLANE WITH A FLIGHT ATTENDANT ABOUT A MIXUP WITH YOUR DRINK REQUEST AND BE BRANDED AS A TERRORIST..NEED I GO ON????
Wake up AMERICA??? If you truly want to protect the children, then do not allow your government to break all your constitutional rights.
That goes for Democrat's and Republican's, yes you're the responsible one's as it's your leaders who allow this to happen.
babysitters. Maybe the parents have to teach their kids not to meet
strangers and be stop being ******. I get tons of emails from
young girls and I just ignore them, simple as that. Why spend all
this money, time and effort to stop this problem? Just say ignore
them. Geesh
- MySpace DELETED all profiles of known sex offenders
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by btljooz
May 16, 2007 7:00 PM PDT
- http://p2pnet.net/story/12237
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