Internet Sexual Predator Law Gets Federal Approval (Updated)
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- October
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Sen. Chuck Schumer announced today that Congress late Tuesday passed his legislation that would help to keep sexual predators off social networking sites by requiring them to submit e-mail addresses, instant message addresses or other identifying internet information to be placed on the National Sex Offender Registry.
The federal legislation comes after New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo reached an agreement with the state Legislature to pass a similar law in New York this year to keep convicted sexual predators off sites like Facebook and MySpace.
Schumer said the federal law, if passed by President Bush, will require the U.S. Attorney General “to set up a secure system that will allow qualifying social networking websites to cross-check users’ information against the registry to protect users from sexual predators. Without such a checking system, social networking websites have struggled to police their own precincts for sexual predators.”
Updated: Cuomo applauded the legislation’s passage, saying it’s another “important step in protecting our children online.
“I am proud that New York State has once again set the example for the nation by enacting e-STOP on April 28, 2008.ÂÂ E-STOP was the first law of its kind in the country prohibiting dangerous convicted sex offenders from using the Internet to access social networking Websites to communicate with minors, requiring convicted sex offenders to submit any Internet identifiers to law enforcement, and allowing Websites to use the information for the purposes of prescreening or removing sex offenders from their services.
“I congratulate Congress for taking this vital step in protecting our children, and I applaud Senator Schumer for leading the way and displaying extraordinary leadership in getting this bill passed and making it the law across the country.”
This entry was posted
on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 at 1:44 pm by Joseph Spector.
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First: Every step in protecting our children on the internet is a good step. But: This only gives parents a false sence of security. Preditors and pedofiles are NOT going to use their email or IM address when grooming potential victims on the Internet or signing up on MySpace. MySpace and Facebook make it far too easy for them to remain annonomous. As the headlines scream – they will often change their age too. What parents MUST do be becomre more involved with their children’s PC use. Put the computer in a central area. Create your own page and join your child’s network. Talk to them about not posting anything that might include address, school, or other potential identification. Make sure their profile is private and only open to invitations if somebody knows their email address and certainly buy PC and Internet Monitoring software like Spector Pro from SpectorSoft.com. It includes tabs that show ALL PC, Web and Social Netoworking activity. It will record keystrokes, passwords, pictures they post, web site visits, what they search for and much more. It isn’t big brother – it IS what a loving parent will do to protect their children. Even if you don’t look at the reports often – if something should ever happen – you will have an online diary to go back to just in case. Internet
This is very convient seeing that a similar law in the State of Utah was declared UNCONSTITUIONAL by United States District Court Chief Judge Tena Campbell. Looks like another lawsuit will have to be filed against this new federal law, in the event the president passes it into law.
Here’s the Order and Plaintiff’s arguments.
http://www.4shared.com/dir/9534755/19d8052b/sharing.html