States Seek Sex-Offender Data From MySpace
Top law enforcement officers from eight states asked MySpace.com on Monday to turn over the names of registered sex offenders who use the social networking Web site.
In a letter, the attorneys general asked MySpace to provide information on how many registered sex offenders are using the site, and where they live. North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper signed the letter, along with attorneys general from Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Cooper's office said that in 2006, media outlets "reported almost 100 criminal incidents across the country involving adults who used MySpace to prey or attempt to prey on children."
In December, MySpace announced it was partnering with Sentinel Tech Holding Corp. to build a database with information on sex offenders in the United States. "It is our understanding that the data from Sentinel reveals that thousands of known sex offenders have been confirmed as MySpace members," the letter said.
In an interview, Cooper said the information was provided by "absolutely credible" sources, which he declined to identify.
The attorneys general also asked that MySpace describe the steps it has taken to warn users about sex offenders and remove their profiles. They asked the Web site to respond to their requests by May 29.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called the site a "virtual playground" for predators.
"That combination of sex offenders and children is a recipe for tragedy," Blumenthal said.
CBS News technology analyst Larry Magid said there's no question that both registered and unregistered sex offenders are using MySpace and other social networking services. He says the real issue is what are they doing there and whether they've victimized children.
"So far, there isn't a lot of evidence of kids being victimized but that doesn't mean there isn't a risk," Magid said.
There is pending legislation at both the federal level and in several states that would require registered sex offenders to also register their email addresses and social networking accounts which would make it easier for these services to keep their eye on offenders or ban them altogether, says Magid.
MySpace's policy prevents children under 14 from setting up profiles, but it relies on users to specify their ages.
The site is owned by media conglomerate News Corp.
Attorneys for MySpace said they had not seen the letter and could not immediately comment.