ON THE CUTTING EDGE: New Tactic Against Online Predators
Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell of Virginia is proposing a novel law requiring sex offenders to register the e-mail addresses and screen names they use in chat rooms or on MySpace.com and other social networking sites, just as they currently must register their physical and snail mail addresses. Failure to register will carry misdemeanor or felony charges, and "offenders could have their probation or parole revoked or face another felony charge of evading reporting requirements," according to The Washington Post.
Under McDonnell’s plan, state officials would provide these e-mail addresses and screen names to MySpace, which would block anyone using them from the site. However, McDonnell admits the new plan is not foolproof because convicted sex offenders can sign up under aliases and make up phony bios.
Though solid numbers are hard to come by, social-networking sites estimate that there are 50,000 sexual predators online at all times posing as teenagers to lure children into meeting them. McDonnell points to a study by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children suggesting that one in seven children between the ages of 10 and 17 will be sexually solicited online.
Protecting children online has bipartisan appeal. The Washington Times reports that "McDonnell, a Republican, has made fighting sexual predators his No. 1 priority since being elected last year," and that "Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, a Democrat, has signed a dozen bills aimed at cracking down on sexual offenders."
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