MySpace Data Used To Catch Seven Sex Offenders

It did not take very long for data released by MySpace on sex offenders to be used in the apprehension of those who are using the site in violation of their parole or probation rules.

The state of Texas announced on Thursday seven arrests which took place over a period of two weeks. The men apprehended had been convicted of the sexual assault of girls as young as four years of age.

Not all were arrested for use of the Internet, which is often a condition of parole and probation for sex offenders. One failed to register as a sex offender in his community, which is another condition of a molestation conviction.

"Texans will not tolerate criminals who prey on our children," Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said in a statement. "These convicted sex predators established online identities on a Web site that is popular with teenagers and children."

MySpace first announced in December a plan to introduce technology that would identify and block profiles of sex offenders using technology from Sentinel Safe. However, it originally cited privacy laws in declining to share the information.

Eight states including Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and New Hampshire demanded that the site release the information in May, which the site eventually agreed to later in the month.