Social Networking and Sexual Predators
MySpace and Facebook are online Social Networks where millions of people communicate with each from all over the world on a daily basis.
Recently both networks have closed over three thousand, five hundred accounts.
These accounts are said to be created by registered sex offenders.
This information was released in New York by the Andrew Cuomo; the Attorney General.
New York holds an "Electronic Security and targeting of Online Predators Act" also known as E- STOP, this recent action is associated with that act.
The Act stipulates that sex offenders who were convicted have to register and provide all of there online references including every single email address that they own and any other information that can id them online.
Once this information is gathered, the state has the authority to reveal that information to any social networking website, so that they can pre-screen all their members and remove their accounts if they fall into the list.
The Electronic Security and targeting of Online Predators Act was passed in 2008 by David Paterson, the Governor of New York.
What's more the e-STOP act prohibits social networking online among those sex offenders who committed a crime against minors.
Laura Aheam, who is the executive director of a community and victim's rights organization, called Parents for Megans Law, stated that we need strong laws to protect our children because Parental controls single-handedly cannot stop the sexual predators from seeking out unsuspecting children over the internet.
Based on studies done, some persons believe that the threat from sexual predators on these social sites is overrated.
The Crimes against Children Research Centre states that sex crimes that occur from the internet between adults and minors are most commonly statutory rape, whereas there is an actual relationship between the offender and a underage teenager, and a crime is only being committed because of the age factor.
This is the majority of cases compared to an actual forced sexual assault or an act of child molesting from a paedophile.
While the centre agrees that the problem of online sexual related crimes are serious, they do however believe that a different approach should be taken to resolve the matter, other than the emphasis on parental control and undertaking a process, where the dangers of giving out personal information evident.
According to the Attorney general of New York, 8100 sex offenders who are registered, turned over their email address information and the number of account that were closed on Facebook and MySpace accounts for over 43 percent of that figure.
This is not a new tactic however, in 2007 MySpace had deleted over 20,000 accounts belonging to sex offenders and had also removed allot more earlier this year.
Illinois has also joined in the trend and have passed their own law that stipulates that convicted sex offenders cannot join any social networking website at all; this would also be a crime.
Recently both networks have closed over three thousand, five hundred accounts.
These accounts are said to be created by registered sex offenders.
This information was released in New York by the Andrew Cuomo; the Attorney General.
New York holds an "Electronic Security and targeting of Online Predators Act" also known as E- STOP, this recent action is associated with that act.
The Act stipulates that sex offenders who were convicted have to register and provide all of there online references including every single email address that they own and any other information that can id them online.
Once this information is gathered, the state has the authority to reveal that information to any social networking website, so that they can pre-screen all their members and remove their accounts if they fall into the list.
The Electronic Security and targeting of Online Predators Act was passed in 2008 by David Paterson, the Governor of New York.
What's more the e-STOP act prohibits social networking online among those sex offenders who committed a crime against minors.
Laura Aheam, who is the executive director of a community and victim's rights organization, called Parents for Megans Law, stated that we need strong laws to protect our children because Parental controls single-handedly cannot stop the sexual predators from seeking out unsuspecting children over the internet.
Based on studies done, some persons believe that the threat from sexual predators on these social sites is overrated.
The Crimes against Children Research Centre states that sex crimes that occur from the internet between adults and minors are most commonly statutory rape, whereas there is an actual relationship between the offender and a underage teenager, and a crime is only being committed because of the age factor.
This is the majority of cases compared to an actual forced sexual assault or an act of child molesting from a paedophile.
While the centre agrees that the problem of online sexual related crimes are serious, they do however believe that a different approach should be taken to resolve the matter, other than the emphasis on parental control and undertaking a process, where the dangers of giving out personal information evident.
According to the Attorney general of New York, 8100 sex offenders who are registered, turned over their email address information and the number of account that were closed on Facebook and MySpace accounts for over 43 percent of that figure.
This is not a new tactic however, in 2007 MySpace had deleted over 20,000 accounts belonging to sex offenders and had also removed allot more earlier this year.
Illinois has also joined in the trend and have passed their own law that stipulates that convicted sex offenders cannot join any social networking website at all; this would also be a crime.
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