Actually, the first line of defense against child predators is not parents, police, or government. It is children themselves. Overwhelmingly, children are successful protecting themselves in the world and on the net.
The subpoenas issued by the States were administrative, not court ordered. A question your paper might investigate is whether MySpace was required by law to turn over the information. (I suspect co-operation was voluntary) It is highly unlikely that a court would have order the release of the information about registered sex offender's MySpace accounts. Why is that?
No probable cause to suspect a specific crime has been committed. Many people on the registries are legally allowed to have MySpace accounts and use computers as any other citizen may. The government is on a fishing expedition. Now, you may think sex offenders should be baited, hooked, and clubbed but do you think the same about online gamblers, tax cheats, or kids trading pirated music videos? Does the government have the power to demand any businesses customer data of any group of people from which it might find a few criminals in the bunch?
Folks, if you don't already know the answer to that, read the Constitution of the United States. We don't allow the government to intrude into someone's life unless there is probable cause that a specific crime by a specific person is suspected. In this case, that standard was not met.
These administrative subpoenas merely document that MySpace was replying to a government request. MySpace needed that in order to avoid civil lawsuits for violating the privacy of its membership. However, the government's requests must have a reason behind them. In this case, the government's reason is flimsy at best. Hopefully, some of the 7,000 people whose privacy has now been invaded without probable cause will collectively sue the States for improper use of administrative subpoena.
I have an account on MySpace. I also am an ephebophile - that means I am attracted to young boys. I find their bodies and personalities are beautiful as did Michelangelo, Donnatello, and Germaine Greer, and Elton John. Futhermore, about 22% of a sample of college age men reported that prepubescent people are sexually attractive to them.
So, I chat with dozens boys on the internet all the time. I talk to them about sex, love, and everything else other adults refuse to talk to them about. I've known some now for over 5 years. I've used AIM, IRC, etc extensively as well.
What I find striking about this fear of the monsters of the internet is that, even though these boys have shared intimate details of their live, even though we've talked on the phone for hundreds of hours, even though many of them initiated the ritual of signing off for the night with "I Love You." to which I simply gasp and sputter a reply in kind, VERY VERY VERY few of them would agree to meet me. Two out of dozens.
And perhaps ONE of the hundreds of teen boys I have chatted via the net, has not known to be careful of internet sexual predators.
The idea that MySpace and other internet services are a danger to children is ludicrous. Sure, we hear of a few cases each year, but one can count them on one's hand. It is much more likely for a child to be killed in a car crash or injured in sports than it is for a stranger to abduct them. Any supposed online sexual solicitations are easily dismissed and they are. Furthermore, huge percentages of those soliciting online are from other other minors.
DOJ Crime Statistics tell us that 95% of "child molesters" are known to the child, they are not strangers. 20% are parents, 20% are direct relatives, 20% are friends of the family and neighbors, etc. Many of the people on the registries were, you guessed it, JUVENILES at the time of their supposed offenses.
Furthermore, almost all minors involved in sexual contact with adults either experience no harm or heal and move on very quickly. Most of those who do not do so are those whose parents, police, and counselors will not let them do so. This is true even in cases of actual rape. When someone has issues for years and years and years, there usually is some other mental issue involved.
One need only trace the pattern of US Attorney General's press releases to understand what all this is really about. There is a high correlation between a press release about sexual predators of children and a new scandal, or corruption exposed within the Department. America is being lied to and manipulated about these topic so politicians can claim they are doing something useful for us. It is their positions of power and their departmental budgets that are being protected by this hysteria not children.
I am not on the registry nor have I done anything to warrant placing me there, I AM on MySpace, and I AM chatting with boys between anywhere from 11-15. They love it, I love it, and this new move by MySpace will not stop it.
Find some other scapegoat to fear. Or better yet, stop being so paranoid.
And get a damn warrant next time you want to invade the privacy of people who have broken no laws. Most of the people on the registries are there for non-violent infractions, and large percentages of them did nothing worse than urinating in public, mooning someone, or made love with their 17 year high school sweet heart as a celebration of his 18th birthday.
The subpoenas issued by the States were administrative, not court ordered. A question your paper might investigate is whether MySpace was required by law to turn over the information. (I suspect co-operation was voluntary) It is highly unlikely that a court would have order the release of the information about registered sex offender's MySpace accounts. Why is that?
No probable cause to suspect a specific crime has been committed. Many people on the registries are legally allowed to have MySpace accounts and use computers as any other citizen may. The government is on a fishing expedition. Now, you may think sex offenders should be baited, hooked, and clubbed but do you think the same about online gamblers, tax cheats, or kids trading pirated music videos? Does the government have the power to demand any businesses customer data of any group of people from which it might find a few criminals in the bunch?
Folks, if you don't already know the answer to that, read the Constitution of the United States. We don't allow the government to intrude into someone's life unless there is probable cause that a specific crime by a specific person is suspected. In this case, that standard was not met.
These administrative subpoenas merely document that MySpace was replying to a government request. MySpace needed that in order to avoid civil lawsuits for violating the privacy of its membership. However, the government's requests must have a reason behind them. In this case, the government's reason is flimsy at best. Hopefully, some of the 7,000 people whose privacy has now been invaded without probable cause will collectively sue the States for improper use of administrative subpoena.
I have an account on MySpace. I also am an ephebophile - that means I am attracted to young boys. I find their bodies and personalities are beautiful as did Michelangelo, Donnatello, and Germaine Greer, and Elton John. Futhermore, about 22% of a sample of college age men reported that prepubescent people are sexually attractive to them.
So, I chat with dozens boys on the internet all the time. I talk to them about sex, love, and everything else other adults refuse to talk to them about. I've known some now for over 5 years. I've used AIM, IRC, etc extensively as well.
What I find striking about this fear of the monsters of the internet is that, even though these boys have shared intimate details of their live, even though we've talked on the phone for hundreds of hours, even though many of them initiated the ritual of signing off for the night with "I Love You." to which I simply gasp and sputter a reply in kind, VERY VERY VERY few of them would agree to meet me. Two out of dozens.
And perhaps ONE of the hundreds of teen boys I have chatted via the net, has not known to be careful of internet sexual predators.
The idea that MySpace and other internet services are a danger to children is ludicrous. Sure, we hear of a few cases each year, but one can count them on one's hand. It is much more likely for a child to be killed in a car crash or injured in sports than it is for a stranger to abduct them. Any supposed online sexual solicitations are easily dismissed and they are. Furthermore, huge percentages of those soliciting online are from other other minors.
DOJ Crime Statistics tell us that 95% of "child molesters" are known to the child, they are not strangers. 20% are parents, 20% are direct relatives, 20% are friends of the family and neighbors, etc. Many of the people on the registries were, you guessed it, JUVENILES at the time of their supposed offenses.
Furthermore, almost all minors involved in sexual contact with adults either experience no harm or heal and move on very quickly. Most of those who do not do so are those whose parents, police, and counselors will not let them do so. This is true even in cases of actual rape. When someone has issues for years and years and years, there usually is some other mental issue involved.
One need only trace the pattern of US Attorney General's press releases to understand what all this is really about. There is a high correlation between a press release about sexual predators of children and a new scandal, or corruption exposed within the Department. America is being lied to and manipulated about these topic so politicians can claim they are doing something useful for us. It is their positions of power and their departmental budgets that are being protected by this hysteria not children.
I am not on the registry nor have I done anything to warrant placing me there, I AM on MySpace, and I AM chatting with boys between anywhere from 11-15. They love it, I love it, and this new move by MySpace will not stop it.
Find some other scapegoat to fear. Or better yet, stop being so paranoid.
And get a damn warrant next time you want to invade the privacy of people who have broken no laws. Most of the people on the registries are there for non-violent infractions, and large percentages of them did nothing worse than urinating in public, mooning someone, or made love with their 17 year high school sweet heart as a celebration of his 18th birthday.
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Link to this comment: http://www.securityfocus.com/comments/newsbriefs/506/1956#1956