New laws track child predators online

Child predators will be easier to track online because of two new laws President Bush signed Monday.

The Protect Our Children Act--which includes provisions introduced by Sens. Joe Biden (D-Del.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), and John McCain, (R-Ariz.)--sets requirements for Internet companies to report incidences of child pornography. It also authorizes more than $320 million for the Justice Department over the next five years for, among other things, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

The president on Monday also signed the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act, which requires a sex offender to provide the National Sex Offender Registry with all of his Internet identifiers, such as e-mail addresses.

While the KIDS Act does not permit sex offenders' Internet identifiers to be made public, it does require the attorney general to share the information with social-networking Web sites, so the sites can compare the identifying information with that of their respective users. The bill was sponsored by Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in the Senate and Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.) in the House.

[Seanathome]

Sadly, with the multitude of advanced, "cloaking" software, some of these sexual predators will get through the gate. I'm all for "protecting the children", but the internet provides an "unlimited" amount of information and innovations... for good or bad people.

[Gromit801]

Define sexual predator.

Define 1st Amendment.

Why aren't drug sellers likewise punished?

[freedomfighter5000]

If the federal governement is going to make laws regarding sex offenders, then the federal government must preemptively define what a sex offender is. Some states are so frenzied with fear that they are trying to solve problems that do not exist. In some states people are being forced to register as sex offenders for misdemeanors like mooning or urination. Some state recently arrested a 15 yr old girl for child pornography because she took a naked picture of herself with a camera phone. Clearly some reasonable limits must be placed on these ridiculous laws. Some states are also trying to put so many restrictions on where sex offenders can live that there is no place available. Sex offenders who have paid their debt deserve equal protections under the law, lets not create a "race" of people to be demonized and discriminated against.

[freedomfighter5000]

If the federal governement is going to make laws regarding sex offenders, then the federal government must preemptively define what a sex offender is. Some states are so frenzied with fear that they are trying to solve problems that do not exist. In some states people are being forced to register as sex offenders for misdemeanors like mooning or urination. Some state recently arrested a 15 yr old girl for child pornography because she took a naked picture of herself with a camera phone. Clearly some reasonable limits must be placed on these ridiculous laws. Some states are also trying to put so many restrictions on where sex offenders can live that there is no place available. Sex offenders who have paid their debt deserve equal protections under the law, lets not create a "race" of people to be demonized and discriminated against.

[Imalittleteapot]

It might be a different case, but I read they arrested the boy she sent it to, but not her. Both should be arrested right? One made the child porn and the other viewed it. Both illegal right? Or perhaps just stupid. Kids will be idiots. My favorite is when two under age kids have sex and the older one is arrested and called the pervert. Shouldn't both be arrested? They're were both too young to consent to the other right?

[humanssssss]

United States like to control the Internet through their version of "morals". This will eventually backfire.

Restricting speech is no way to run the Internet. The Internet built on free speech and those who don't like can "ignore" and set a price for the information to be received. If people don't want to see porn, how the hell can it be seen?

[Imalittleteapot]

If they're so damned dangerous that they need their online identities tracked and followed maybe the SOBs in the government shouldn't have released them to begin with huh? You think I would want my kids to have to WATCH OUT!!! for convicted sex offenders. They shouldn't have to WATCH OUT!!! for them. They should just be behind bars where they can't hurt anyone.

Ah, but of course the sex offender registry means jack. They can't keep them all in prison because most of them didn't commit any real crime. God forbid somebody urinated in public once. Many people on the list shouldn't even be on the sex offender registry. A lot of them should just be on the complete freaking idiot registry. They throw everybody on it and now the list means nothing so how is it protecting me? How can I tell who the real bad people are and who isn't? Why should I have to? The real dangerous people shouldn't be let back out on the street to begin with!!!

[unknown unknown]

This is just stupid, keep them jail if they're a danger. These over elaborate supervised release programs are BS. Considering it takes only few minutes create new accounts I seriously doubt the value of these laws.

These laws were written and passed for political gain. "Fighting" terrorism and child molesters is good PR for grandstanding politicians.

[malcarada]

A waste of taxpayers money

[mc4ever]

can't lock people up forever. asigned years is the whole point of term "debt to society". everyone knows that time served and release system doesnt work. while serving there time there needs to be education systems in play. a felon that completes college while serving time has less than a 5 percent chance of ever coming back to life of crime. we need to educate and rehab those that go down wrong road of life. sex offenders e.g. rapist and child molesters need to stay in therapy for a set time after they complete there debt to society. goverment is just stroking the fears of the common to get there votes. with education and therapy. crime is down and the cost of prisons drop way below the cost of educating and therapy for felons. smarter society is a stronger society.

[sythara]

Have anby of you actually read this bill and not rely on editor's comments to formulate an opinion?

yeah, didn't think so.

[MSLGWCEO]

US Department of Justice, 2003
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/rsorp94pr.htm
? Sample size ? 9,700 sex offenders

? Length of time ? 3 years
? Re-offense trigger ? reconviction (Doesn't mean a new sex crime)
? Results ? 5.3% sexual offence. 3.3% child molestation.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/rsorp94pr.htm

Highlights include the following:

* Released prisoners with the highest rearrest rates were robbers (70.2%),
burglars (74.0%),
larcenists (74.6%),
motor vehicle thieves (78.8%),
those in prison for possessing or selling stolen property (77.4%),
and those in prison for possessing, using, or selling illegal weapons (70.2%).

* Within 3 years, 2.5% of released rapists were arrested for another rape,

and 1.2% of those who had served time for homicide were arrested for homicide.
* The 272,111 offenders discharged in 1994 had accumulated 4.1 million arrest charges before their most recent imprisonment and another 744,000 charges within 3 year

More at: www.cfcoklahoma.org

[Oshunblu]

ROMANS 14:13
?Let us not therefore judge one another any more; but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother?s way.?
AMERICA SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THE WAY IT IS PERSECUTING THOSE INDIVIDUALS CONVICTED OF A SEX OFFENSE!!!
We are treating them like the Nazis treated the Jews and the slave traders treated the black race.
The Sex Offender Registry does not prevent crime it just strips individuals of their constitutional rights and sets them up for finger-pointing and humiliation by the ?perfect? people in society.
Why does America insist on having at least one group of people to openly persecute?

[mlccrc]

This is great news! All of our nation?s children need to be protected, unfortunately, the Internet is unregulated, and anyone can do just about anything they want online without any penalties. There have been many studies that indicated sexual predators don?t change and if they are imprisoned, they return to the same criminal activity once released. That is why websites like www.GuardChild.com were created, to help parents protect their children from online predators. Our children are innocent and we need a combined effort by government and parents to protect our children.