MySpace, U.S. Address Sex Offenders Online

TitusC3v5 writes "According to BBC News, MySpace is attempting to block sex offenders by way a custom database that utilizes state sex offender registries. Sentinel Safe will let MySpace search US state and federal databases to seek out and delete MySpace profiles of registered sex offenders." From the article: "The company said the new service will be the first national database that brings together about 46 US state sex offender registers ... It will be available in the next 30 days. MySpace has not released information on its plans for tackling sex offenders using the service in other countries." This is on the heels of proposed legislation that would require sex offenders to keep their email on file. The addresses would presumably be used to restrict former criminals from accessing online community sites, but in an the era of easily obtainable email addresses it's hard to see how this would be effective.

WTF?

[zappepcs]

Is this yet another case of clueless people trying to create rules for systems that they have no idea of how it functions?

While the intent is good, I'm rather suspect of people who think this is full-proof, and look forward (mockingly) to the future when people think their kids are safe from predators because MySpace is tracking KNOWN sex offenders by their REGISTERED email addresses.

Wow, why don't we just do this with terrorists? Then we'd know where they are and what they are doing all the time, just have to log onto the gov. website to find out....

Politicians and pedophiles.

[Tackhead]

Politicians and pedophiles. Two groups of exploitive bastards who are at their most dangerous when they're thinking of the children.

Re:Politicians and pedophiles.

[Anonymous Coward]

Sometimes they are even one and the same!

A/S/L?

[Paulitics]

MysteryMan33: ASL?
Wii:13,F,Fl
MysteryMan33:You like big harddrives? Minz 120Gig.
Wii:wow! thats big.
MysteryMan33:Wanna see it?
Wii:cool
MysteryMan33:Wanna play with my Wiimote control?

BrianWilliams:I'm Brian Williams and your on DATELINE. What were you planning to do with this young girl?

MysteryMan33:I can't log on to MySpace anymore because I am on "the List".

Second-class citizens are useful.

[Captain Sarcastic]

Where would our civilization be without second class citizens?

How else would we have been able to make some of the steps forward in medicine, were it not for some of the work done on "disposable" people?

How else would we have had such a burgeoning entertainment industry, had it not been for laws that deprived actors and actresses from burial in sacred ground?

Who else can be used for a way to see how far a government can go before the first-class citizens decide that enough is enough?

Of course, sometimes a government can overplay its hand. When people find out that convicted sex offenders are not allowed in public hurricane shelters, but have to report to the local jail (and give 24 hours advance notice, even!), there might be a feeling that things might have gone too far.

But then again, when we're "thinking of the children," we don't have to do a whole lot more thinking, do we?

Fake names?

[hoggoth]

When asked what MySpace would do if a sex offender simply signed up with a fake name, the MySpace spokesman paused, blinked a few times, and replied 'these go to eleven.'