Comments on: MySpace to provide sex offender data to state AGs

After asserting that it'd be illegal to do so, News Corp. unit agrees to provide data about registered sex offenders who use the site.

[matale5]

How will this even work?

Whats stopping a sex offender from using some random name and address?

[Arrgster]

It won't really

This is all just politics. It's no different than the drug war. We've been fighting a drug war my entire life, yet it is just as easy to get drugs as it ever was. So why do they do it.. One, to make it look like they are doing something. Two, so they can ask for more money.

Thanks to the media your average non-tech person thinks myspace is a dangerous place. So therefore law enforcement is under pressure to do something. Law enforcements answer is they ask for a bunch of useless data from myspace so that it looks like they are doing something. Unfortunately, because the data is useless you will find they will come up with a grand scheme to fight this kind of thing. Not surprisingly it will require boatloads of money of which you and I will have to pony up.

In the end, very few people will be caught, tons of cash will be wasted, and your average little lemming will fell all safe in their false little reality.

[desultorypolemic]

MyMolester Dot Com

Isn't it time that parents got a handle on what their kids are doing online and put an end to this sort of opportunity for child molesters?

Parents, wake up.

[System Tyrant]

It's the governments job.

Oh, come now. Surely you jest. It's not the parents job to raise children anymore. That's why we have lawmakers. Parents are much to busy doing whatever it is they do to monitor what kids do. And besides that children must have unfettered access to the Internet and TV and games so they can be cool like other kids. Personally, I think we should just censor the whole world and allow each government to decide what is proper and right.

(If you didn't get the huge amount of sarcasm I was laying out on that then... well I don't know what.)

[Gromit801]

That Broad Brush Again

When did Sex Offender automatically become Child Molester? The
majority of SO's arent child related.

Another example of focusing on the witch hunt, and letting real
issues fall by the wayside.

[dayebreak]

What's Next

I suppose an agreement was made to prevent MySpace from being sued for violating the Privacy Act. Individuals engaging in legal conduct, sex offender or not, social networking site or not, are protected under the Privacy Act. No one has the right to divulge their email address and IP address.

MySpace wants a federal email registry, which they know will not work. They will then ask for an IP registry, which will work to some extent. They will then ask for...

[RachelnCJsMom]

Myspace Refused to Cooperate & Help Parents Find Son

I refuse to believe that nobility is just a state mind, that it no longer exist. I refuse to believe that a helpful hand is thing of the past, that each one of us are on there own in times of need. But comes a company like Myspace.com who makes me think that it is a thing of the past.

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.

[tanis143]

Unfortunate

Sorry to hear about that, but I can say your request for them to hand over that info is bound to be rejected. They will not hand over ANY info unless asked to by law enforcement. It doesn't matter what the circumstances, they will not do it. Want to know why? Because they can not prove your intentions are true just based on your word. They need proof to cover their own butts.

[Major_Woody]

Stupid

First off, unless the offender is on ACTIVE probation or parole, there is absolutely nothing wrong (i.e. against the law) with them being on MySpace. So all those AGs are just blowing smoke up your ***** since the vast majority of sex offenders are NOT under any form of supervision. Any law mandating email addresses from offenders WILL FAIL as there is no way it can be enforced! I have six different email address, some work and some personal. The govt. has no way to know what my email address is, and it certainly has no way of knowing how many I have. So while the pervert could give them an email address, there is no way to check and see if that is the only one that they use. The govt. would only know about it after the fact -- after an incident has already happened. And by then, of course, it would be too late. Rules like this are just so much huffing and puffing against a brick house.

[sshekare]

word to your mother.

Sounds like molester talk to me... jk. I fully agree. E-mail addresses are so easy to come by that it's nigh impossible to track down someone's identity using an email address. Now an IP and email address, AND a reliable last known address of the predator could be useful, but still very difficult to gain the identity of the predator.

[boabyd]

Sex Offenders

Do not believe for a moment just because you have several email addresses that you can hide, Remember this ,
All they need to do is tap into your phone
line(s) and find what they are looking for. also remember they DO NOT NEED PERMISSION to tap your phone.
Be sure to thank the republicans for passing this law.

[dayebreak]

That's The Point

They know it will fail, which gives them leverage to enact more stringent legislation. You're right, a non-registered emai will only come to light after a search and seizure, unless they enlist third parties; ISPs, phone companies, search engines, snitches, to monitor the activity, and find a way to justify it thru legislation. As an attorney, you know how they work, think, manipulate, and plan for this scenario. So why aren't more attorneys exposing this sham?

[btljooz]

Sex Offender Hysteria and Recidivism Rates

[b]READ[/b]about Sex Offender Hysteria:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGLG_en___US205&q=Sex+Offender+Hysteria

http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv8-adbe&p=Sex%20Offender%20Hysteria

Links to studies done by the Bureau of Justice Statistics on the recidivism rates of criminals:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/crimoff.htm#recidivism

and

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/rsorp94.htm

I suggest that before posting that people actually RESEARCH the subject of the post enabling them to post in an [b]intelligent[/b] manner [u]INSTEAD[/u] of through knee jerk, emotional [b][u]IGNORANCE[/u]!!![/b]

[Gromit801]

The Crucible

Folks should read "The Crucible" by Henry Miller. Wherever he uses
the word "witch," substitute "sex offender."

There's our nation today.