MySpace Won't Provide Sex Offenders' Names

(AP)  Citing federal privacy law, MySpace.com said Tuesday it won't comply with a request by attorneys general from eight states to hand over the names of registered sex offenders who use the social networking Web site.

MySpace's chief security officer said the company regularly discloses information to law enforcement officials but said the federal Electronic Communications Privacy Act says it can only do so when proper legal processes are followed.

"We're truly disheartened that the AGs chose to send out a letter ... when there was an existing legal process that could have been followed," the security officer, Hemanshu Nigam, said in an interview.

In a letter Monday, attorneys general from North Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania asked MySpace to provide the number of registered sex offenders using the site and where they live.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal on Tuesday blasted MySpace for refusing to share the information and said no subpoena is needed for MySpace to tell the attorneys general how many registered sex offenders use the site "or other information relating to possible parole violations."

"I am deeply disappointed and troubled by this unreasonable and unfounded rejection of our request for critical information about convicted sex offenders whose profiles are on MySpace," Blumenthal said. "By refusing this information, MySpace is precluding effective enforcement of parole and probation restrictions that safeguard society."

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper echoed the sentiment, saying "it's sad that MySpace is going to protect the privacy of sex offenders over the safety of children."

Nigam said MySpace is serious about identifying and removing sex offenders from its Web site and wants to work with the attorneys general.

"Everybody needs to get together and delete online predators," Nigam said, adding that MySpace supports state and federal legislation requiring sex offenders to register e-mail addresses. "The attorneys' general concerns and our concerns are exactly the same."

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.

Software to identify and remove sex offenders from the site has been used for 12 days, and MySpace has "removed every registered sex offender that we identified out of our more than 175 million profiles," Nigam said.

It is also working with Sentinel to share the sex offender database and technology with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which works directly with law enforcement officials, Nigam said.

Christian Genetski, an attorney who has represented MySpace, said the Electronic Communications Privacy Act requires subpoenas, court orders or search warrants, depending on the information sought.

"It's a clearly defined law that most providers and prosecutors understand and work with on a daily basis," said Genetski, who covers information security and Internet enforcement at a firm in Washington, D.C. "My understanding is (the attorneys general) want the private personal information, and that's clearly the information the ECPA protects."

Blumenthal said will be aggressive in their pursuit of the information.

"We will take ...forceful action, including subpoenas if necessary to protect children," Blumenthal said.

MySpace, which is owned by News Corp., and other social networking sites allow users to create online profiles with photos, music and personal information, including hometowns and education. Users can send messages to one another and, in many cases, browse other profiles.

MySpace's policy prevents children under 14 from setting up profiles, but it relies on users to specify their ages.

[edmoddantes]

Am missing something here? Virtually all profiles in MySpace are fake. Are there any parole violators signing their own names there? All kids in these networks lie about their age too. Quite frankly a very healthy habit. Tell your children to lie online -- always. Don't trust you private data to sexoffenders or to ******* DAs .

[phydeux1]

No, I said that its not only the parents' job to teach their kids right, but also TO MONITOR and actively PROTECT their kids.

So yes, I think there could have been more done to stop something like that from happening. Alarms on the windows, or at least a piece of broomstick in the track at night. All sorts of safety measures could have been taken and apparently weren't there.

Keeping your home safe for your children is a parent's responsibility. The government's job is only to deal with the aftermath when that's enough.

As for a convicted felon's rights, yes, some states have stricter guidelines than others. But what about all these mounting restrictions on where an SO can live? work? pass their free time? shop? etc? These laws are just painting SO's into a corner where they can't live anywhere, can't get a job, and can't form ties to the community, even if they really want to fit back into society. So is it any wonder they end up back in prison because they violated their parole by not having a home or job?

If you're going to let people out of jail you HAVE to at least give them an opportunity to reintegrate into society. Otherwise, what's the point of having a prison system and not just a dungeon system?

[vdtd-2009]

To: phydeux1 at 07:25 PM : May 17, 2007

You said, "Must be nice that you can choose who DESERVES to have their constitutional rights abolished & who doesn't." Excuse me, but a conv. felon upon release from prison, under the LAW (depending on the state) absolutely loses some of their civil rights. We don't pick & "choose" this; the felon has "chosen" to have their civil rights stripped when they committed the felony. In some states, the convicted felon, incl. the SOs, lose their right to vote, sit on a jury or engage in a state-licensed occupation. Most felons convicted of serious crimes must wait 5 years to have those rights restored, a waiting prd to determine if felons are truly rehabilitated or still leading a life of crime. So your critique, not surprisingly, is flawed.

You also said, "And who are you to say all those labeled as an SO are as much a threat as J. Couey?" Umm, wrong. I don't know where you got that from, but (& here we go again), it's not for ME or YOU to decide -the courts decide & render the punishment!

You are naive to think that if parents simply rear their children properly & stop depending on the gov, then they will be safe. What world are you living in? So, using your logic, harm befalls children ONLY if their parents didn't teach them well. Couey broke into J's home in the mid. of the night & took her. Was that her daddy's fault b/c he didn't raise her right & b/c he depended on gov. to keep her safe? You need to wake up to reality.

[phydeux1]

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Ben Franklin

People such as VDTD scare me because they're quite happy as long as its OTHER people's rights that get stripped away little by little.

"After all, the *** offenders gave up a lot of their rights when they committed the offense(s) they were convicted of." -- sclaires

Really? So they don't regain their rights once they've completed their sentence and repaid their debt to society as the courts who represent the interests of the people have ordered? Must be nice that you can choose who DESERVES to have their Constitutional rights abolished and who doesn't. Do you feel any safer for it? Probably not. Would you feel safer knowing that you're in the room when your kids are on the computer? Probably.

People need to stop telling the government to poke its nose into everyone else's business and start minding their own. If you raise your children to have some sense, keep an eye on what they do and who they hang out with, then you're keeping them safe. Take care of your home, your children, and your safety, and you won't have to worry about what everyone else is doing.

[phydeux1]

"If they are homeless then create a special shelter." -- Phoenix128 -- That wouldn't work as it would be a violation of the terms of their parole in most states as SO's are not allowed to cohabitate or associate. "Ever heard of victims' rights?" -- VTDT -- Yes, victim's rights is the banner under which people stand while stripping the rights of those they deem undesirable. And who are you to say all those labeled as an SO are as much a threat as J. Couey? Are you as much of a threat going 70mph in a 65 zone as the drunk fool going 120? No. But by your logic we should treat you as just as vile a criminal as the drunk driver and strip you of your rights for it. That's not justice, that's vengeance. Oh, and here's a factoid for you, the vast majority of S.Offenders ARE PARENTS! They prey upon their own children. Offenses by strangers are in the minority, but are reported more often because families keep it hushed. Once again, the internet and MySpace are services, and its up to parents to make sure their children don't abuse and aren't abused by those services. Oh, and lets not even MENTION the teenage girls who actively PURSUE adult men for *** because its a thrill. Yeah, they're out there folks, and they're what scare me most.

[nana314-2009]

To me if you are not telling the public who the *** offender is, it is almost like saying "were looking for a 6 foot male who's got curly hair and brown eyes but were not going to tell you what else he looks like or his name or where you may find him. Be on the look out because he may be lurking around your neighborhood." If you know there's a problem and you dont ask anybody for help, how are you to solve that problem? Either names should be given or atleast the location of the person in question so that people are atleast able to tell whether they're in a the worst situation or if they can relax.

[sclaires]

I, for one, do not see anything wrong with the Attorney Generals wanting to know the *** offenders who are using MySpace. After all, the *** offenders gave up a lot of their rights when they committed the offense(s) they were convicted of. I know I would want to know if any *** offender was living close to me and if I had any children, I would want to know if they were corresponding with any *** offender.

[vdtd-2009]

To DfndLiberty: I'm glad that you're so sure you know what the intentions of big bad government are with respect to this issue. Give me a break. Your civil liberties are just being so abused, you must feel like you're suffocating all the time with big brother constantly scheming behind your back. Get a grip. There are such things as bad guys out there, and first and foremost you and only you are responsible for your safety. But when it comes down to ways in which we cannot protect ourselves, we pay taxes so that others can. If you don't need that kind of help, tell the police that you won't be needing them anymore next time you get robbed. Or the next time one of your family members gets car-jacked. And I say good for the Brits and CCTV. But according to you, they too must be suffocating because their freedoms have been so compromised by their gov. How ironic, that you take the two most free nations in the world and compare them to a "police state." Move to North Korea and see how much you like it. You just don't get it - and I would bet money you don't have children.

[infidel_us]

It would probably voilate some election law as 90% of the SO's will be DEMOCRATS!

[mottasa-2009]

This is a very interesting dilemna.

On one hand, the government could monitor predators

However, on the other hand, they would also monitor a lot of others in the process.

I am all for protecting children. Parents really need to monitor myspace anyway with a product such as PC Pandora or similar. I am glad that myspace is sticking to their guns, because historically, when the Government is allowed to intrude they tend to leave a large footprint. My experience with myspace with my own children, has been not so much with predators, but more with malicious code, spyware and keyloggers. MySpace is FULL of malicious software in almost any photo, or file that you click.