MySpace to use database to delete predators' profiles
Dr. Kardasz: The following news article describes an important step towards ridding MySpace of those registered offenders who are stupid enough to register using their true identities.
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MySpace to use database to delete predators' profiles
By Mike Hughlett, Tribune staff reporter, 12/05/06
After several embarrassing media reports of sex offenders prowling around MySpace.com, the popular online hangout said Tuesday it will deploy new technology to boot predators from its pages.
While the move was widely applauded, some MySpace watchers question whether it will be effective because sex offenders can conceal their identity online.
MySpace, owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., is at the vortex of the highly charged issue of pedophiles prowling the Web.
There have been several reports of convicted sex offenders setting up MySpace profiles—without mentioning their crimes.
MySpace Tuesday announced a partnership with Sentinel Tech Holding Corp. to build a database containing the names and physical descriptions of convicted sex offenders.
The automated system, due to launch in about 30 days, will comb MySpace for sex offenders, booting all traces of them from the site, said Hemanshu Nigam, MySpace's chief security officer. "They're deleted."
According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, there are 593,000 registered sex offenders in the country. A recent Wired News report said that 744 registered sex offenders had MySpace profiles.
MySpace has about 135 million user profiles, about 70 million to 80 million of which are individuals.
To bolster its sex predator shield, MySpace is advocating legislation that would require convicted sex offenders to register their e-mail addresses with federal or state authorities.
Over the past 10 years, most, if not all, states have adopted laws requiring convicted sex offenders to register their addresses with local law enforcement authorities.
However, a similar move with e-mail addresses would likely lead to opposition from Internet civil liberties groups fearing such registrations could set a bad precedent.
mhughlett@tribune.com, Chicago Tribune
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