Comments on: MySpace deletes 29,000 sex offenders

That's four times the number of profiles it initially reported deleting in what one politician calls an "exploding epidemic."

[TV James]

Smooth Move

Spy always say that it's better to identify another spy than it is to kill another spy. Why? Once they know who they are, they can watch what they do. But if you kill or capture the spy, the foreign government just sends another spy and you have no idea who they are, or what they're spying on.

By deleting 29,000 records, you're just letting 29,000 people create new accounts, maybe this time, being a little smarter about covering their tracks and being more careful about the hints about themselves that show them to be sex offenders.

[inachu]

many more people are happy now

imagine having a 67 year old leave a guestbook comment on a 19 year old girls website.

Ewwwww!!!!!!!!!

Well hello there pretty lady you look very charming today! EWWWWW EWWW EWWWWW!!! gross!

[ittesi259]

And that has what to do with sex offenders?

What you just said is perfectly legal....wierd, but legal.

[SeizeCTRL]

POINTLESS GESTURE!

Now what is really stopping them from setting up new fake profiles or going through proxy servers... or other things to mask who they are?

[Fireweaver]

Not completely pointless

I agree that the gesture is a media-relations one for the most part. It will, however, reduce the number of convicted sexual predators on MySpace. This will likely reduce an undesirable element on the network.
As you have pointed out, if someone wants to mask their activity and create an account they always can. But taking out the easy targets doesn't solve the problem but it IS a definite improvement and it does have value

[In-Cyde]

What about underage offenders?

How many of those 29,000 were young adults who have been put on the sexual offenders list for life all because they had premarital/underage sex in the bible belt?

-Ben

[lrosen9999]

MySpace moral panic ...again

Unbelievable! The moral panic screamers just won't give up and face the facts.

In June 2007 MySpace had over 70 MILLION unique visitors. OK, so they removed 29 THOUSAND sex offender profiles. That is 4/100ths of a percent!!! In addition, from my studies of well over 2500 MySpacers, nearly all told me that when faced with a "solicitation" they act appropriately and block the person or report him to Tom. When asked if these episodes are upsetting the vast majority say it does not upset them at all.

I am appalled that people keep focusing on MySpace as a hotbed of sexual predators soliciting teens. It is not. It is all an issue of good parenting. Please visit my website at www.csudh.edu/psych/lrosen.htm for my research and information on my upcoming book Me, MySpace and I: Parenting the Net Generation.

Thank you for allowing me to post this comment.

LR