29,000 MySpace Sex Offenders Removed

[3113]

Headlne says it all, I think....

29,000 MySpace Sex Offenders Removed

MySpace.com has found and removed more than 29,000 sex offenders with profiles on the popular social networking site, according to state officials on Tuesday. The newly released figure was a huge jump from 7,000 profiles of sex offenders just two months ago on a site with about 180 million profiles. Roy Cooper, North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper along with several others had demanded data on the number of registered sex offenders using the social networking site, owned by News Corp.

"I'm absolutely astonished and appalled because the number has grown so exponentially over so short of time with no explanation," said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, according to The Associated Press.

Increasing complaints and concerns over numerous criminal incidents of sexual predators on MySpace had pushed the popular online hangout to develop a database containing names, physical descriptions and other identifiable details on sex offenders in the United States. The new development was announced last December and is in partnership with Sentinel Tech Holding Corp.

That database had initially helped remove about 7,000 profiles of sex offenders. MySpace declined to comment on the latest increased figure, according to AP. Instead, MySpace chief security officer Hemanshu Nigam said in a released statement, "We're pleased that we've successfully identified and removed registered sex offenders from our site and hope that other social networking sites follow our lead."

Attorney General Cooper is currently pushing for a state law that would require children to receive parental permission before creating social networking profiles. He is also working with law enforcement officials in other states in pressuring MySpace to use age and identify verification methods voluntarily. "Children use the Internet to make friends, to have conversation, to have romances, to live these fantasies. And there are people out there, unfortunately, that wish to do children wrong," said Brian Lewis, executive director for Covenant with North Carolina's Children, which supports Cooper's bill, according to The Charlotte Observer.

The MySpace sex offenders figure was released as pornography is flooding the American culture. According to comScore Media Metrix, more than a third of the U.S. Internet audience visited sites that fit into the online "adult" category. And 44 percent of males ages 18-34 say viewing pornographic material is morally acceptable, a 2006 Morality in Media study found.

 

[R. Richard]

I am glad to see the sex offenders removed from MySpace. The average 16 to 18-year-old is not well equipped to deal with a predatory adult sex offender.

I would think that the real solution for all of the Internet 'meet markets' would be to have a check off box to verify that the person is NOT a sex offender. Then there would need to be federal laws that mandate a long prison sentence for lying about sex offender status.

 

[CeriseNoire]

I would think that the real solution for all of the Internet 'meet markets' would be to have a check off box to verify that the person is NOT a sex offender. Then there would need to be federal laws that mandate a long prison sentence for lying about sex offender status.

Sadly, I doubt that it would happen. I foresee all sorts of fears of government involvement getting in the way. I mean, a lot of sites have check off boxes for age, yet (to my knowledge) there isn't any kind of verification or enforcement.

 

[tickledkitty]

All 29,000 of them will probably come to Lit now, if they haven't already.

 

[Pure]

first, note that other criminals besides sex offenders take advantage of personal information. should myspace drop them too? screen for criminal records? should myspace demand documents to verify age, and require its posting?


the whole thing seems as if it's like asking the phone company to cut them off from service, and the states to revoke their drivers licenses.

it seems to me that teens--who were, in all other periods of history, adults--should learn life skills including how to deal with strangers, including those with unsavory, criminal, exploitive or sexually abusive agendas. they should learn how to maintain privacy-- perhaps myspace should give some lessons, insisting certain things not be posted, e.g. pictures of the front of one's house with the number showing, and a street-name sign in the background.

 

[tickledkitty]

Do you have kids, Pure? Because that all sounds good unless you're talking about your own kid.

 

[Guest]

Do you have kids, Pure? Because that all sounds good unless you're talking about your own kid.

It is a scary situation.

We don't expect someone else to protect our kids from the internet, though.

We've discussed predators and their methods and all sorts of privacy issues with both our kids.

We've discussed how kids were kidnapped, abused and in some cases killed when they found a way to secretly meet up with someone they had never met online.

They know not to give out any information - not their name, location, age. They can say they live in the U.S. and they can talk in generalities. That's it.

We've instructed them to tell us if someone starts asking them personal questions and we keep a fairly close monitor on what they do online.

Hopefully we can stay on top of things.

 

[Carnevil9]

As Leno commented tonight, MySpace removed 29,000 registered sex offenders. That leaves several hundred thousand unregistered sex offenders still on the site.

 

[SinningOnlySlightly]

I read that last paragraph, and I have to admit that I automatically dismiss everything which the Morality in Media group advocates or claims is distructive to society.

Other than that, I'm glad that 78,000 sex offenders have been removed, but isn't it a simple matter of registering with a different name?

 

[3113]

I read that last paragraph, and I have to admit that I automatically dismiss everything which the Morality in Media group advocates or claims is distructive to society.

I'm in agreement with this. I don't quite know why the article noted this last part at all, as the one (men deeming pornography as "morally" acceptable) has nothing to do with the other (the number of registered sex offenders on My Space).

The scandals in the Catholic Church more than prove that men who say they disapprove of pornography and find it immoral can still be sexual predators. In short, if someone is going to really suggest a link between public approval of pornography and the number of sex offenders, then they're going to have to present better evidence that the two are linked.

 

[TheDivineMsM]

Attack me if you wish...
And i also have a son who is 10 who of course i love and would protect to the day i die...
BUT...
I dont understand why:
1. They felt in necessary to go after a certain segment of the population who has committed a crime...Will they go after convicted rapists now too?
2. Why more parents dont do as sweetsubsarahh did and discuss things more openly with thier kids, and also dont have a problem spying on thier kids. I will spy on my son...and let him know i am spying at will too.

 

[tickledkitty]

Attack me if you wish...
And i also have a son who is 10 who of course i love and would protect to the day i die...
BUT...
I dont understand why:
1. They felt in necessary to go after a certain segment of the population who has committed a crime...Will they go after convicted rapists now too?
2. Why more parents dont do as sweetsubsarahh did and discuss things more openly with thier kids, and also dont have a problem spying on thier kids. I will spy on my son...and let him know i am spying at will too.

Um...wouldn't a convicted rapist actually be considered a sex offender? Yeah, parents should definitely be discussing this stuff with their kids. Not sure what that has to do with it though. Kids don't think like adults and don't have the capability to reason as well as adults. I don't think they would consider someone they thought was another kid as a potentional predator. Hell, I even screw up and give out personal information sometimes and wish I hadn't. Every little bit helps. Maybe getting rid of the 29,000, even temporarily, has saved one person from getting raped and/or killed.

 

[TheDivineMsM]

Um...wouldn't a convicted rapist actually be considered a sex offender? Yeah, parents should definitely be discussing this stuff with their kids. Not sure what that has to do with it though. Kids don't think like adults and don't have the capability to reason as well as adults. I don't think they would consider someone they thought was another kid as a potentional predator. Hell, I even screw up and give out personal information sometimes and wish I hadn't. Every little bit helps. Maybe getting rid of the 29,000, even temporarily, has saved one person from getting raped and/or killed.

Eh i dunno...I guess i see it as a restriction of freedoms....
And even tho they are the scum of the earth....so long as they are on this side of the fence...sexual preds. have freedoms too...
I guess my issue is they werent doing anything wrong...that we know of now anyway...that could change of course, and if they were doing something wrong...teasing or tempting the young then i have a whole nother argument (for) them being removed...

 

[tickledkitty]

Eh i dunno...I guess i see it as a restriction of freedoms....
And even tho they are the scum of the earth....so long as they are on this side of the fence...sexual preds. have freedoms too...
I guess my issue is they werent doing anything wrong...that we know of now anyway...that could change of course, and if they were doing something wrong...teasing or tempting the young then i have a whole nother argument (for) them being removed...

Maybe they weren't, in fact, doing anything wrong. I find that hard to believe though. I think it's the equivalent of an alcoholic hanging out in a bar. If he's there long enough, sooner or later he's going to drink.

 

[JamesSD]

While the goal of removing predators from Myspace is admirable, I'm not sure the methods will be effective.

I could create a fake profile on Myspace right now, of a 17 year old boy, girl, 54 year old woman, etc. Barring IP address monitoring, it seems difficult to discern real profiles and clever fakes. What this sort of culling is going to weed out is registered sex offenders using their real identity on Myspace. I can't hlep but feel like this is sort of like attacking a secondary symptom rather than a disease.

 

[S-Des]

the whole thing seems as if it's like asking the phone company to cut them off from service, and the states to revoke their drivers licenses.

it seems to me that teens--who were, in all other periods of history, adults--should learn life skills including how to deal with strangers, including those with unsavory, criminal, exploitive or sexually abusive agendas. they should learn how to maintain privacy-- perhaps myspace should give some lessons, insisting certain things not be posted, e.g. pictures of the front of one's house with the number showing, and a street-name sign in the background.

Exactly. I have a daughter and will keep as close an eye as possible on her computer usage. It's none of MySpace's business if it's users have a criminal history (unless they are reported for using the service in improper ways). Users can have their profiles set to only be viewed by people who are already friends. If you have kids who are meeting complete strangers on the basis of a few conversations, then they have big problems that won't be solved by removing a bunch of people's profiles.

 

[MrsDeathlynx]

And that's why unless I know the person or get a message beforehand saying who they are I don't bother adding the, saves me the hastle...

 

[Liar]

As usual, I can't help but wonder how many of those sex offenders are guys who were spotted taking a leak in the alley, or got gaught boinking their one or two years younger girlfriend, and how many are rapists and child molesters, and how many of those with such a conviction are any actual danger to anyone. Of course, there are dangerous people. It is and will always be a dilemma, where the "better safe than sorry" side have the easiest arguments.

Also: Will it work? Or will sex offenders, especilly those who are there to predate, just register a new, anonymous account? Is it just a PR move to make users and their parents feel safer with MySpace?

 

[Pure]

to tickled

TKDo you have kids, Pure?

P: yes

Because that all sounds good unless you're talking about your own kid.

a measure which insists that sex offenders use aliases seems likely to be ineffective.

as another poster has mentioned, 'internet predators' etc are more likely NOT sex offenders, i.e, they're a much much bigger group. many responsible looking adults have been caught trying to 'chat up' female teens [who also may be fake teens, or cops], and sometimes to meet.

i'd place my money on 1) supervision [presence when child on 'net] and 2) training the child to protect itself and its privacy [perhaps screening its proposed 'my space' posting].

 

[cloudy]

Exactly. I have a daughter and will keep as close an eye as possible on her computer usage. It's none of MySpace's business if it's users have a criminal history (unless they are reported for using the service in improper ways). Users can have their profiles set to only be viewed by people who are already friends. If you have kids who are meeting complete strangers on the basis of a few conversations, then they have big problems that won't be solved by removing a bunch of people's profiles.

Oddly enough, I agree with this completely.

We seem to have a witch hunt mentality about sex offenders, when their "crime" can be something as benign as that of the 17-year-old receiving a blowjob from a consenting 15-year-old (huge case still in the news).

While I abhor pedophilia like everyone else, your children are your responsibility, and no one else's, just as my children are my responsibility. Stop expecting society to do your job.

As Liar (?) has pointed out, removing those profiles has done nothing to actually increase anyone's safety. It may make you feel safer, but that's more dangerous, in my eyes.

 

[tickledkitty]

I think very, very few sex offenders have done something like get a blowjob from a 15-year-old when they were 17. That is the exception to the rule, for sure.

I'm not saying I expect society to raise my kid. Believe me, my kid is monitored almost constantly. Probably too much.

Parental control is great, but that only goes so far. And what about the millions of kids who aren't monitored? Don't we as a society have even a little bit of responsibility toward them?

No, kicking the sex offenders off MySpace won't solve the problem. Probably won't even make a dent. At least somebody is trying to do something though.

You all talk about these people deserving freedom. Sorry if this cuts across the grain, but I believe you forfeit some of your personal freedom once you violate someone else's.

 

[Guest]

I think very, very few sex offenders have done something like get a blowjob from a 15-year-old when they were 17. That is the exception to the rule, for sure.

I'm not saying I expect society to raise my kid. Believe me, my kid is monitored almost constantly. Probably too much.

Parental control is great, but that only goes so far. And what about the millions of kids who aren't monitored? Don't we as a society have even a little bit of responsibility toward them?

No, kicking the sex offenders off MySpace won't solve the problem. Probably won't even make a dent. At least somebody is trying to do something though.

You all talk about these people deserving freedom. Sorry if this cuts across the grain, but I believe you forfeit some of your personal freedom once you violate someone else's.

Oh, I don't think they deserve freedom. I just feel as you do, that removing the sex offenders won't make a dent in the problem as the ones who are interested will just make new accounts and start all over.

We have to be very vigilant, all of us.

 

[cloudy]

I think very, very few sex offenders have done something like get a blowjob from a 15-year-old when they were 17. That is the exception to the rule, for sure.

And you know this.......how?

Parental control is great, but that only goes so far. And what about the millions of kids who aren't monitored? Don't we as a society have even a little bit of responsibility toward them?

No, kicking the sex offenders off MySpace won't solve the problem. Probably won't even make a dent. At least somebody is trying to do something though.

Sure we do, but our efforts would be better spent on parental education than useless witch hunts.

They're not "trying to do something." They're making an empty gesture to make you, and others, feel better. That's all. To me, that's more dangerous than doing nothing at all, as it may lull those parents that don't watch as you do into a false sense of security.

You all talk about these people deserving freedom. Sorry if this cuts across the grain, but I believe you forfeit some of your personal freedom once you violate someone else's.

I have a felony on my record. How much of my freedom are you willing to sacrifice? Does the fact that my case is resolved matter at all? Or should I continue to have my freedom "forfeited" for the rest of my life?

 

[MagicaPractica]

*steps onto soap box*

Parents, please talk to your kids about Internet Safety. There are some good sites out there with Internet Safety Quizzes you can use with your kids. But you have to go in depth about this with them. Most kids won't see that saying what school they go to and that they are jersey #00 on the Basketball team is tantamount to telling a predator who and where they are. Internet Safety is something that school librarians try to address with students but more and more school librarians are being replaced with clerks who don't have the training to teach kids things like this.

*gets off soapbox*

 

[tickledkitty]

And you know this.......how?

I don't know for sure, Cloudy. Maybe I'm just jaded by what I see through my work.

Sure we do, but our efforts would be better spent on parental education that useless witch hunts. They're not "trying to do something." They're making an empty gesture to make you, and others, feel better. That's all.

I pretty much agree with that. You're right. I want to feel better.

I have a felony on my record. How much of my freedom are you willing to sacrifice? Does the fact that my case is resolved matter at all? Or should I continue to have my freedom "forfeited" for the rest of my life?

I'm not willing to sacrifice your freedom at all. I was talking about sex offenders, not everyone in the world with a criminal record. The fact that they have committed a crime isn't even the issue. Their mindset is the issue. The fact that it's very hard to reform (yeah, that's a bad choice of words) people like that even with therapy, drugs, etc., because it's an illness, is the issue. The fact that I have a very beautiful daughter and this scares the hell out of me is the issue.

I don't know what the answers are. Yeah, parental control is our best option, our only option at this point.