Comments:MySpace removes 90,000 sex offenders

Back to article

This page is for commentary on the news. If you wish to point out a problem in the article (e.g. factual error, etc), please use its regular collaboration page instead. Comments on this page do not need to adhere to the Neutral Point of View policy. You should sign your comments by adding ~~~~ to the end of your message. Please remain on topic. Though there are very few rules governing what can be said here, civil discussion and polite sparring make our comments pages a fun and friendly place. Please think of this when posting.

Quick hints for new commentators:

• Use colons to indent a response to someone else's remarks
• Always sign your comments by putting --~~~~ at the end
• You can edit a section by using the edit link to the right of the section heading

Click here to add a new comment · Add onto existing comments

Online Danger - Reality Check

While I certainly support measures like this, and don't want to minimize how important it is to get sexual predators off of social networks, we need to make sure that reality is taken into account. The study linked in this Ars Technica article was a part of the agreement that resulted in these account removals, and it paints a very interesting picture, one that the Attorneys General involved here didn't really like.

Some interesting items from the report: "[T]he risks minors face online are complex and multifaceted and are in most cases not significantly different than those they face offline." and "[T]he truth is that there is no 'Internet safety,' there is simply 'safety.'"

From the Ars article, this sums up the reality pretty well:

"When it comes to sexual solicitation, the fraction of individuals targeted by adult strangers is quite small. Most of the youth targeted are older adolescents, and a large majority of those solicitations come from someone under 25; in many cases, they involve other adolescents. Many of those on the receiving end don't view the solicitations they've received as inappropriate, and somewhere in the area of 98 percent of those targeted in this manner brush off the suggestions without giving it much further thought. Far from being innocent victims, the youth who choose to act on these solicitations generally know exactly what they're doing, and their choice is often symptomatic of larger problems. "The psychosocial makeup of and family dynamics surrounding particular minors," the report notes, "are better predictors of risk than the use of specific media or technologies." "

And also of note:

"At least one of the Attorneys General that helped arrange for this report would apparently prefer the focus stay on the horror. Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal, who is specifically singled out for thanks by the report's authors, is quoted by The New York Times as saying its focus on available statistics "downplayed the predator threat." "

In other words, he thought that the focus on actual, verified facts and available data didn't show what he wanted the report to show. I disagree, and feel that there needs to be a focus on reality, even if the reality is that the problem isn't easy to solve, and likely not as bad as the fear-infused public might believe. So, while getting 90,000 sex offender profiles off MySpace is a big win, and I heartily approve, I hope (likely in vain) that those numbers won't be used to over-inflate the threat. That usually leads to bad laws that hurt everyone on the 'Net. --MJ the Prophet (talk) 14:34, 5 February 2009 (UTC)

Sex Offender does not equal predator!

When will these idiots get it through their heads that "sex offender" and "predator" do not mean the same thing?

They need to go back to school and learn the difference, and stop the boasting and grandstanding!—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 98.17.169.186 (talk • contribs)

I don't blame MySpace for just removing all sex offenders, even people who would not be considered active predators. They are a private company that has taken so much heat for the real predators that crawl their site, that they are smart to remove anybody that has a sex offense on their record. Even if this does not change the true threat on their site, the huge figure of people banned helps save their public reputation. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by JTornado (talk • contribs)

The difference is irrelevant for their purposes. Sex offenders are sex offenders. And nobody wants them around. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 206.74.5.136 (talk • contribs)

Oh, you're only a sex offender? That's a relief. Mind watching my kids while I rest easy? -99.224.209.50 12:12, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

I would like to know more. This story sounds like something very positive but there is another side to it that's not discussed:

How do MySpace know for sure who the sex offenders are, and from my point of view how do I ensure that I don't get accidentally labelled as an offender? Do the courts carefully verify every application or is MySpace simply supplied with a list of names? We know how accurate that latter kind of no-fly list can be.

Will the first court case for libel halt this useful child protection scheme due to the consequences of innocent people being hunted in vendettas and having their families taken from them - or has it been well thought through with judicial safeguards and protection until proven guilty? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sufijam (talk • contribs) 21:05, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

I very much doubt there will be any way to tell that a closed account on Facebook was for this reason. --Brian McNeil / ^talk 23:09, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

More Sheeple News...Sounds like a real accomplishment...to a moron.

So let me see if I can get this right.

They found 90,000 Properly & Legally Registered Former Sex Offenders on My Space using their real names, photos, addresses, and profiles, many even acknowledging they were Registered Former Offenders in said profiles.

WOW! Seems like these Sex Offenders are idiots using their real names and information to prey on Children over 13 as My Space says ALL members have to be over 13 and we all know no one makes up false ages or profiles on MY SPACE.

Sounds like shooting fish in a barrel. Easy National Media Coverage for votes and pandering to the public fear and ignorance. No Challenge there. Kinda like a Bank Robber robbing his own bank without a mask and with a note with his name and address on it.

Now let's see them get the real predators off My Space like the recent 18yr old who blackmailed teens for pictures and sex, but wait, he was not a Registered Sex Offender was he. And it is my guess that any future "Predators" discovered on My Space WILL NOT be a Registered Former Offender. Kind of makes the job harder to find the real dangerous members as they are NOT Registered Offenders, they are NOT using their real names and profile information, and NO ONE even knows they are there until it is too late.

"Stupid is as Stupid Does." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.227.96.106 (talk) 18:41, 14 February 2009 (UTC)

People will believe the worst no matter what.

So let me see if I get this right.

They found 90,000 Properly & Legally Registered Former Sex Offenders on My Space using their real names, photos, addresses, and profiles, many even acknowledging they were Registered Former Offenders in said profiles.

WOW! Seems like these Sex Offenders are idiots, using their real names and information to prey on Children over 13 as My Space says ALL members have to be over 13 and we all know no one makes up false ages or profiles MY SPACE.

Sounds like shooting fish in a barrel. Easy National Media Coverage for votes and pandering to the public fear and ignorance. No Challenge there. This is kinda like a Bank Robber robbing his own bank without a mask and with a note with his name and address on it.

Now let's see them get the real predators off My Space like the recent 18yr old who blackmailed teens for pictures and sex, but wait, he was not a Registered Sex Offender was he. Kind of makes the job harder to find the real dangerous members as they are NOT Registered Offenders, they are NOT using their real names and profile information, and NO ONE even knows they are there until it is too late.

"Stupid is as Stupid Does." __16:05, 15 February 2009 (UTC)16:05, 15 February 2009 (UTC)The Gallowsman —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.227.96.106 (talk)

they should!

because one day somebody may ask somebody to come to there house and something bad may happen