‘Ban minors from MySpace’
p2p news / p2pnet: If Pennsylvania congressman Michael G. Fitzpatrick has his way, minors will be stopped from logging onto sites such as Rupert Murdoch’s MySpace, known as popular hang-outs for online predators.
His H.R. 5319, the "Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006," was introduced on Wednesday.
"Sites like Myspace and Facebook have opened the door to a new online community of social networks between friends, students and colleagues," Fitzpatrick says on his site. "However, this new technology has become a feeding ground for child predators that use these sites as just another way to do our children harm."
More than 200,000 "objective profiles" have been removed from the site, and age restrictions for registering can easily be foiled, says Fitzpatrick. "Many profiles of students contain their names, photos, schedules and contact information – all dangerous opening for sexual predators to exploit."
But the bill’s current defintion of social networking sites is, "exceptionally broad at the moment," says Ars Technica, and includes any site that, ‘allows users to create web pages or profiles that provide information about themselves and are available to other users’ if that site ‘offers a mechanism for communication with other users, such as a forum, chat room, email, or instant messenger.’
"This describes a whole lot of sites – Ars comes to mind, for one – so hopefully this language will be tightened up before the bill comes to a vote. The bill also directs the government to form a website designed to educate teens and parents about appropriate usage of such sites (the FTC already has some information on this)."
Fitzpatrick also calls for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to create a website with a distinctive url to be used as a resource for parents, teachers, school officials and others, "regarding the dangers on the Internet to child users".
"This website would include information about MySpace and other social networking sites, how they are used and what should not be included in a user’s profile," he says. "The FTC would also be responsible for issuing consumer alerts to parents, teachers, school officials and others regarding the potential dangers of internet child predators and their ability to contact children through MySpace.com and other social networking sites."
Meanwhile, ""We have a complete culture of fear," Arts Technica has Danah Boyd, 28, a PhD student and social media researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, saying.
"Kids really have no place where they are not under constant surveillance."
Also See:
Ars Technica – Deleting predators from MySpace, May 11, 2006
May 13th, 2006 at 12:51 am
Right now, anyone can create a MySpace account and profile with fictitious names, email address, age, etc. I wonder how many pedophiles there would be on MySpace if MySpace required a real email address and some type of “who you really are” verification system. It can be done. It’s done all over the Internet.
Instead of banning minors from MySpace, why not take the anonymity out of it. If you can’t verify who you are, you should not have an account on MySpace.
If you cannot verify your age, you should not have an account on MySpace.
Perhaps a verification system similar to what Paypal uses would work. If a minor wants an account, they will have to go through their parents. Then the parents would have control of whether or not their child has an account and would be able to monitor their MySpace page.
I really don’t see the need to “ban” anybody (except known pedophiles). The answer, in my opinion, is verification of who you really are. It’s about accountability. If we know who you really are, you will be held accountable for your actions.
MySpace is a social networking site used by a variety of age groups. Most adults do not want to be networking with, meeting, or talking to underaged children; however, this is possible since an underaged child can (and do) put down any age they want to. For example, 14-year-old girls put their ages down as 18 and older, and this is dangerous for legitimate adults who want to meet and talk to people of their own age.
I believe MySpace has a responsibility to its users to know who their members really are. It’s all about accountability and responsibility.
(A Concerned Parent)
May 13th, 2006 at 1:45 am
except the PARENTS mentioned in the previous post. GOOD IDEA there concerning the PARENTS’ involvement!!!
AND…>For example, 14-year-old girls put their ages down as 18 and older, and this is dangerous for legitimate adults who want to meet and talk to people of their own age.<
You are so very correct about that!!!! Way too many legitimate adults are duped by this very thing!!! It’s sad they are forced into having to even think about trying to verify someone’s true age just to have companionship of any meaningful kind. In addition to which, by being duped by these out of control kids …NOT just ‘girls’… they can wind up with their whole lives, as well as those of their families’ and friends’, etc, RUINED by being put on that extremly UNConstitutional “Sexual Offender List” [(....which is another topic altogether
)] by LIARS!
May 13th, 2006 at 7:23 am
It’s a complete waste of time. Why so many hundreds of thousands of people feel the need to create a page telling the world that they exist, what they look like etc. is beyond me. You want to tell someone you exist? Use Blogger, at least that way you can keep it reasonably anonymous if you want…
Oooo.. look at me I’m so clever, I made them all think I was 21 when I’m really 13. Have some pictures of me in a bikini out with my mates, why not have my local town as well, and loads of information about me… bla bla bla..
Anyone who follows that kind of thing on MySpace is just asking for it in my opinion. But what’s worse, they break the golden internet rule… actually agreeing to meet someone they don’t know.
I’ve know a few people for years and years on one website, I trust all of them, and would meet them if I could. However, if it weren’t for the fact I’ve known them for so long, and had seen them, talked to them on the phone, confirmed in many ways who they were, I wouldn’t even dare to.
MySpace is dangerous, and kids just aren’t aware of what could happen….
May 13th, 2006 at 9:04 am
None of the solutions you have offered would make that much of a difference. The pedophiles can simply borrow a credit card number from a friend or family member, and the kids will just move onto another site that doesn’t require such verification.
âI really don’t see the need to “ban” anybody (except known pedophiles).â
And how do you suggest doing this? You cannot tell if someone is a pedophile simply from their credit card, so should they run background checks on everyone who signs up? The cost alone of that or designing some kind of system that could check all the sex offender registry’s automatically would force the site right out of business.
âI believe MySpace has a responsibility to its users to know who their members really are.â
Thats just silly thinking that a site that offers a free service has some kind of âresponsibilityâ to its members to pry into their personal lives for their own good.
âIt’s all about accountability and responsibility.â
Maybe you should actually register an account here or at least leave an identifying name in your post before you start preaching about online accountability and responsibility. Its a bit hypocritical.
May 13th, 2006 at 9:39 am
Just what amendment is the sex offender registry violating?
May 13th, 2006 at 10:11 am
Giving your phone number to someone is much more dangerous then meeting up with them in public. Anyone can find out your name, where you live, pretty much all of your personal information by getting your phone number. If you bring along a few friends and meet your new acquaintance in a public area with a lot of people there is almost no danger.
MySpace isn’t dangerous. Parents who don’t take the time to talk to their kids about posting sensitive information online in ANY public forum are dangerous.
May 13th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
Why don’t you READ for yourself:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html#amendmentix
If you’re not careful, just MIGHT learn MORE!
AND, I bet you didn’t you hear about what the CANADIAN punk did in the Northeast US about a month ago or so. He looked at that S.O.L. and KILLED two of the thirty-some people he found on that list. What would have happened if he had found others around when he found and killed his victims? These others would have been in peril, also.
The people on that S.O.L. had already done their time and paid their debt to society. They are NOW following the LAW by registering. (Did you know that a LARGE number of ’sex offenders’ don’t even register like they are SUPPOSED to? THEY are the ones you NEED to worry about!!!!!)
Not only does this S.O.L. put past offenders in jeopardy of being victimized by vigilanties but it also puts their families, friends, co-workers at risk of being victims of vigilanties, too. Therefore, all that S.O.L. does is PROMOTE MORE crime in the form of vigilantieism and put MORE people in harm’s way!!!!!
http://saltlakecity.about.com/b/a/257300.htm
http://www.geocities.com/eadvocate/issues/?20064
READ the above links extremely thouroughly and EDUCATE yourself before posting about something you don’t know anything about!!!!!
May 13th, 2006 at 6:43 pm
is nothing but an ignorant bigoted troll. Hey, J.T., what’s the “J” and the “T” stand for? I dare you to put your real name in here. I think the kettle (you, JT) are calling the pot black. I suggest you actually read all of the threads here and do some research on your own before you go spouting off your drivel, quite irresponsibly I may add, about things you obviously know nothing about. JT, have you ever heard of the Right to Privacy? Judging by your posts here I doubt it. Why don’t you use that computer of yours to do that research now? JT, my screen name in here may be btljooz but my real name is Julie Allen. There you hypocrite, I just broke one of the main rules about being on the internet just for you. I did so in order to take the responsibility you suggest for what I have posted to you. Have a nice day > researching!
May 14th, 2006 at 10:57 am
I have to side with them on this one. This is a matter of principle, and any laws or precident set against MySpace could just as easilly affect any other block site, including even this very discussion board here at p2pnet.
The real issue here is freedom, and it’s shocking to see that a generally pro-freedom site like p2pnet seems to be siding with the regulators. The type of legislation that’s being proposed is a blatant violation of freedom of expression rights. To say that someone under 18 can’t set up a blog profile!
This whole hype about online predators is really just that – hype! The internet is still a relatively new technology, so it gets more media attention. Pubs and discos and playgrounds have all be around for hundreds of years, so if someone gets attacked by someone they met at one of those places then it’ll maybe make the local news. But if something bad happens to someone with someone they met from online then then that’s new and sensational. So the media sensationalizes it. And then the schmucks up in congress want to let everyone know that they’re “doing something about it” so they go write more laws to create even more beauracracy and complexity in the legal system and further errode everyone’s freedom. But who can argue with them when it’s being done “for the children!”
But for all this hype, can anyone show any real statistical evidence to show that a larger percentage of young people are being victimized now than say twenty years ago?….
May 14th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Specifically at what point does this article say, or appear to say, that p2pnet sides with Pennsylvania congressman Michael G. Fitzpatrick? My eyesight must be getting worse as I get older!
May 14th, 2006 at 9:07 pm
I don’t know that the p2pnet authors here have explicitly sided against Myspace or for legistation. But certain writing styles of the articles I’ve seen here on Myspace could give the impression of such a slant.
For instance, Myspace is referred to here as “Rupert Murdoch’s MySpace.” Murdoch is notorious as a media mogel and owner of the conservative Fox News network, so amongst libererals, who would generally be inclined to side with freedom of speech this could make them go the other way, muttering to themselves “that damn Rupert Murdoch – supporting Bush and the Iraq war and now he’s enabling online predators – we better regulate that bastard!”
Of course I’d like to think that most liberals are a bit more smart and sophisticated than that, but given what I’ve seen from them over the past several years (especially post-9/11) who knows…
May 15th, 2006 at 10:04 pm
Hey, maybe he was really asking. . .
Anyway, what’s this “debt to society” crap? You need to unload that bunch of nonsense. Vigilantes are just doing what the law wouldn’t, thanks to pansies like you.
May 15th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
Right to Privacy? No such thing. Now who’s ignorant? Answer: You.
May 15th, 2006 at 10:07 pm
Forget shutting MySpace down because it’s dangerous; shut it down because it’s stupid as hell.
May 16th, 2006 at 6:07 am
Remove MySpace from ther internet? Because it’s not to your liking? YEAH! That makes lots of sense. As a matter of fact, let’s just ban the whole internet because I think it’s dopey. And while we’re at it, let’s ban ‘American Idol’ – it’s ruining music and I just don’t like the darn thing. Then we can ban McDonald’s and Coke for being such bland food products. And Nike, too! (Damn trendy footwear.) You know, in my day, we were told to do what we were supposed to do just because that’s the way it was and we LIKED it. We were GRATEFUL. Not like you lot, with all your petty indulgences and attention to luxuries. Be like me – or piss off! (Amen, Lord Baby Jesus.)
– Reverend Flash
May 16th, 2006 at 6:29 am
Here’s why it’s better to be anonymous on the internet, Julie Allen:
From the little info you gave, I (and J.T. Davis) now know the following information about you:
You live in the Riverside area of Kansas City, Missouri. You’re unemployed and seeking an office or retail job. You’re originally from Orlando, Florida, but you left in 1976 at the age of 18 and you haven’t been able to get back there yet. Your birthday is January 29, 1958. You like meeting and chatting with people on the computer (obviously). Your interests include: the outdoors, the environment, classic cars, 4X4s, horses, cats, animal rights, anthropology & archaeology, Native American culture, Ancient History, new age, metaphysics, music, and guitar.
Your two favorite quotes are “If you have it, a trucker helped get it there!” and “Some days you are the bug; some days you are the windshield.” You’re a computer novice, but you would like to learn to build and repair PC’s and PC networks. You primarily use technology for creating documents with Windows XP Pro Office Suite, to job hunt, get weather reports, read news, e-mail, chat, research, and rip backup CDs. You have collected lots of clip art, 6000+ Fonts, loads of icons & a few wave files.
Cowardly,
– Anonymous
March 2nd, 2007 at 12:05 pm
yeah
March 2nd, 2007 at 12:05 pm
yeah