29,000 Registered Sex Offenders on MySpace

[RWC130 594]

MySpace sex offenders increase fourfold

July 25, 2007

MySpace.com has found more than 29,000 registered US sex offenders with profiles on the popular social networking website - more than four times the number cited by the company two months ago, North Carolina officials said.

North Carolina's Roy Cooper is one of several state attorneys general who recently demanded the News Corp-owned website provide data on how many registered sex offenders were using the site, along with information about where they live.

After initially withholding the information, citing federal privacy laws, MySpace began sharing the information in May after the states filed formal legal requests.

At the time, MySpace said it had already used a database it helped create to remove about 7000 profiles of sex offenders, out of a total of about 180 million profiles on the site.

Two MySpace spokeswomen did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Cooper is pushing for legislation that would require children to receive parental permission before creating social networking profiles, and require the websites to enact procedures for verifying the parents' identity and age.

AP

[irishfire2491 24]

That is why you only add your friends

That just makes me sick to my stomach 29,000 sex registered offenders and I bet there are more that on myspace that have not been caught yet.

[SBVFD524 0]

WOW thats crazy.

[CAM502 6]

WOW...only 29,000 I would think there are many more then that. Please teach your children that the internet is not as safe as they think.

[SgtGumby311 0]

Looks like Chris Hansen from Dateline NBC will have a job for a long time. It's a shame.

[JBE 328]

I'll bet if they checked some of those sites like adult friend finder, or Craigs list, they could probably find more. Just another little tool for corruption of the innocent.

[DOC22 1]

I'll bet if they checked some of those sites like adult friend finder, or Craigs list, they could probably find more. Just another little tool for corruption of the innocent.

From Lohud.com

Cops say sex is for sale on Web site, arrest 30 on prostitution charges

By RICHARD LIEBSON

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: July 20, 2007)

When it comes to Internet commerce, experts say both buyers and sellers should beware.

Apparently that message wasn't heeded by 30 men and women arrested on misdemeanor prostitution charges. Police say they were using to the popular craigslist.org Web site to buy and sell sex throughout Westchester County.

"They're low-level offenses, but it's a big business and a public health hazard,'' Greenburgh Police Chief John Kapica said yesterday. "It's amazing how widespread it is, and how profitable. We had women charging $200 to $400 an hour for sexual services. Some were coming here all the way from Florida.''

The arrests were made by police from Greenburgh, Rye, Rye Brook and Elmsford who formed a special task force in March after learning that ads for "erotic services'' were being posted on Craigslist featuring explicit photos of women and implying that sexual encounters could be arranged in Westchester. Some ads listed fees in dollars while others used euphemisms such as "roses'' or "kisses'' to indicate prices.

The police began answering the ads and arranging meetings in local hotels and motels, arresting the women who showed up on a charge of prostitution. Men who drove the women to the meeting places were charged with fourth-degree promoting prostitution, also a misdemeanor.

Police also posted "undercover ads" of their own. When men looking for trysts replied, meetings were arranged and the men were arrested on a charge of fourth-degree patronizing a prostitute, a misdemeanor.

In all, Kapica said, 11 women were charged with prostitution, five men were slapped with promoting prostitution charges and 14 men were accused of patronizing a prostitute during the sting between May 18 and June 29. Police also seized $11,000.

"We thought we would throw some resources at this and at least put a hole in it for a little while,'' Kapica said. "We're hoping that we can scare off the prostitutes and embarrass the johns.''

Once the arrests started, Kapica said, several Craigslist users posted warnings in the site's Hudson Valley section that police were investigating "erotic services'' ads. Nonetheless, dozens of sexual ads were found during a check of the site's Hudson Valley section yesterday.

Three of those arrested in the sting have already pleaded guilty to lesser charges and had their cases sealed, Kapica said. The remaining 27 cases are still pending.

Officials from the Craigslist Web site could not be reached yesterday for comment. In 2005, after White Plains police arrested 20 women on prostitution charges during a similar sting, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster said the Web site's terms of service prohibit postings that promote illegal activities.

[RWC130 594]

200 "roses'' ahhhh and I thought 1 dozen roses was good enough! LOL

[calhobs 110]

The sad part isnt that there are 29,000 registered US sex offenders on my space, the sad part is how many are on there and across the country that are not registered.

Edited July 25, 2007 by calhobs