"MySpace Harbored Nearly 100,000 Sex Offenders"
K.C. Jones InformationWeek
2/05/09
http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=213001685&subSection=All+Stories


     Social networking sites have drawn slue of mixed reactions since becoming popular. I, along with many others, enjoy using these sites as a way to stay in touch with friends who live far away. As with many things on the Internet, you are not safe! People who use these sites are always warned to protect their privacy from unwanted visitors.
     A recent article by K.C. Jones is about Myspace recently turning up approximately 90,000 registered sex offenders! It’s a great thing these idiots are not smart enough to use a false name and information. On the other hand, according to a Myspace representative, their site is the “first and only social networking site to use state of the art technology to ID and remove registered sex offenders from its site.”
     As social networking sites continue to expand in popularity and younger and younger children start creating accounts, it is no wonder why these sites are a playground for sexual predators. Personally, I think these sites should enact an age restriction because if a sex offender wants too, they will succeed at registering for Myspace, Facebook, etc. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who is co-chair on a social networking safety and risks task force, has said that he plans to ID all Connecticut offenders with Myspace profiles and investigate if they can be pursued with charges. This is a great idea, but what if these predators actually have a few brain cells and use alternative information? There is software out there called Sentinel Safe that is used to search and match the criminals. The software sounds like it is a start, but I think the biggest step will be when software can match photos on social networking sites with those in a criminal database!