What the hell would that do? Anybody can easily sign up for a new anonymous email address. This is the stupidest thing I've read so far. Damn VA government... Why are they so stupid???

This is good PR for MySpace. As e-mail addresses are ridiculously easy to create, the only way to force sexual predators to identify themselves online is by requiring personal information - such as a credit card - when signing up to services.

MySpace is now at the point where it could easily require a $2.99 sign-up fee taken by credit card. This would then allow a certain degree of personal identification that would appease their image of safe guarding against possible predators. In the event that a sexual predator used someone else's credit card to create an account, that person would be legally liable if something were to happen.

A second measure would be to introduce a system similar to an SSL Certificate for MySpace - wherein users could register their identity by providing a social security # and/or driver's license number to MySpace, pay a processing fee of $7.95 or $9.95... or whatever, and their identity could then be confirmed and they can have some sort of trophy on their MySpace page.

Because honestly, while some people value their privacy to the degree that you would expect that they themselves had some skeletons in their closets -- there are many people who would feel more open to entering into the social aspect of the Internet if they felt a level of confidence in beginning new communications with people.

I know tons of 'normal' people whose persona online doesn't exactly match their persona in real life. I've heard the argument that they are being 'themselves' online, where they can't be that in real life (which is good if they can only get laid online as it prevents spread of disease and accidental pregnancies) -- however, it scares me to think that there are people who can conceal who they really are for negative reasons.

At any rate - I think that widely used social networking services have a duty to establish a system of online identity integrity validation. Opting-in would have benefits, and those who freak out about their privacy can honestly just get paranoid. I think it's a little more risky meeting up with someone that you do not know in real-life and finding out that they are auditioning you for their amateur porn site.

If this is Good PR then I'm the King of Siam.

Hey, how about parents take responasbility for their kids and start watching what they are doing? there are parental controls built into windows and ie and i think firefox as well. its not that hard. or maybe they dont need a computer with the net in their room? restrict their use to when you are home, and dont give them the password?

A very good and sensible approach to the problem. Unfortunately, we have way too many parents today who are too lazy to take responsibility for their children and want someone else to do the job.

Likewise, if people look at the recidivism rate of registered sex offenders, it's fairly low. Maybe they need to worry about the unregistered ones and those who haven't been caught yet. Far too often, those are the real danger and generally the ones in some position of authority over children.

And, if society really wants to protect kids, what about all the sexually explicit spam email? Everything from sex toys to pills to introduction services and more. This garbage is sent indiscriminately and probably not from registered sex offenders. But, we won't take effective measures to stop the sex spammers. Who wants to explain the "vibrating c*ck ring" spam your kid gets in their email?

Nope....parents start taking responsibility for your kid's Internet activities.

And who will take responsibility for educating our parents?

Initiating programs such as this creates public awareness, which in turn educates our parents.

The Internet continues to develop in surprising ways (MySpace in all of it's poorly designed and structured glory is one) and putting safeguards in place is a wise idea.

After all, it is the US Government's job to protect its citizens the best way that it can based on those who serve the government. Even if this proposal does not pass, the simple fact that senators propose such legislation helps to create a public awareness and in turn, helps to educate the very parents whose short-comings these measures are designed to help.

Perhaps you've hit on the solution. Before people decide to take on the responsibility of becoming parents....they should learn what those responsibilities entail.

Remember, it's people like former Sen. Mark Foley, who are part of the government passing legislation to protect our children. The first and foremost responsibility comes down to the individual educating themselves for their own protection and the protection of their families.

Government leaps at the opportunity to "protect" us, as they have shown in cases of terminally ill patients who wish to stop treatment and die with dignity. Personally, I'd rather have a government that does a little less "protecting," and citizens who take responsibility for themselves and their choices.

The Internet, like most all else in life, is no safer than the manner in which people use it. Driver's exams and licenses don't make cars safer, either. We've become a society so lazy that we just want the government to "do something."

This is one of the stupidest things I have heard of. It either shows a lack of understanding of how the internet works or it is just a ploy to score points with a political base that does not understand the internet.

This is not going to prevent sex offenders from stalking MySpace. Nothing will stop the registered sex offender from going out and getting another email address to avoid detection. What a joke.

While your comments are completely true; e-mail is a step in the right direction and when those less tech savvy than you catch on to their mistake, the groundwork for making a better system will already be in place.

I support sex offender laws as they do protect many people, but the way we go about labeling people sex offenders today is very wrong. If you're drunk and piss in public or your girlfriend shows her tits, prepare to join the list.

When I was 17, I was dating a girl named Erin. We went to high school together, she was a freshman and I was a senior. A very common occurrence in high schools. Anyways, I turned 18 and things were great, then two weeks after 18 we slept together. The school caught wind of our relationship and reported it to CSD, which then sent it to the state. Her parents didn't press charges, the state did (although they stated when we broke up that they never would press charges, they decided to pull a John Kerry and flip-flop for no real reason.) I was five weeks (she was three weeks away from turning 15) over the three-year minimum age gap (which I had no clue about but maybe that was my fault.) I was originally charged with Rape 1, which according to Oregon Measure 11 is 5+ years in jail.

Thankfully I had saved my money for college so I could afford a lawyer to bump me down to Sex Abuse 3 (misdemeanor) it meant 3 years of probation, and 10 years registration. The DA denied our request for him to go to the high schools and discuss these laws so they would know the consequences of having a completely normal high school relationship. It's ludicrous that we hand out condoms to these students but little do they know if they use them it'll ruin their life. Now, after 4 grand on lawyers, 2 grand in fines, and two years of court dates (got to love our judicial system!)

I'm back on my way to college. But for the next 12 and half years, my life is pretty much public knowledge. I've been fully evaluated and don't need treatment (despite the courts saying I did need it) and deemed not a risk and not likely to ever re-offend. I'm pretty much about ready to give up on this cause it seems all people want to do is destroy the lives of people who are sex offenders when they fail to realize not everyone who is one did something wrong.

yeah schools are retarded in certain things.

Sacred Cow - I liked your comments, except the one about John Kerry. As Kerry stated during the presidential debates, sometimes a person's stance on certain issues will change over time based upon new information that is provided. In the case of the Iraq war, which the republican's 'flip-flop' smear campaign was derived from, almost the entire senate supported going to war in a rush of patriotism and trust in poor information that they put their faith in based on the esteem that the Executive Branch of government generally commands.

Anyway, about your story - I'm really sorry to hear that. The same thing did almost happen to me too. In addition, I have friends who have gone through years of probation and 'group' where they have spent thousands of dollars due to a one night stand with someone who either lied about their age, were on the edge, or who just wanted to get back at someone who could legally be accused of rape.

They system as far as age is concerned is ridiculous. I think the law should be that 18 is the age of consent with an adult who is more than 4 years of age difference or something more like that.

I think that would have covered you. There's no sense in arresting an 18 year old for 'bonking' the 16 year old hostess at the restaurant he works at (a hypothetical situation, but one of the most common). Consent should be relative to the individuals involved.

Sorry to hear about your situation, and I'm glad that you continue to support sex laws.

WHAT, I'm no sex offender, but this is completely irational. They can register one address, and simply use another. e-mails are free by the dozens.

Well they're not getting my name thats for darn sure. I've made amens with the authorities and served my allocated time. My debt is paid and I refuse to co-operate with such blatant disregard for my rights as a rehabilitated individual.

I love fake Mark, you crack me up.

LMAO

Lol whoever you are thanks for the multiple laughs you have given me in many of your posts!!!

I think they already have your name. It's Mark Gillespie.

Registering an email address isn't going to do much. Like others have said, they can just use another free account. Although if they are on probation usually they can have their computer inspected at any time.

One thing I'd like to say though. Its a known fact that kids are more likely to be abused by their own parents than they are some stranger. I get tired of the media twisting the truth around.

I also believe it isn't fair that a person convicted of something like looking at illegal pictures, should have to suffer the rest of their life for it (registering for life). No other crime gets that kind of punishment, not even murderers.

Sure John Walsh likes to make you believe they can't be rehabilitated. But thats BS, they definitely can. Unfortunetly no one dares defend their rights because anyone who does gets accused of defending illegal pictures. This is the injustice we have in America. Just like when our Government cries 911 whenever they want a law passed and you get labeled anti-American for objecting. Its the same type of thing.

It's obvious that all of you are A) not parents of children, and/or B) dont' know anyone who has been the victim of a sexual predator. Although it is not the ultimate solution, it's a starting point. If I can review a database that lists the online personae of an offender in the area I live, then I can tell where and with whom my children are chatting. Or maybe you feel that even the IDEA that I monitor my children's internet usage is a violation of my their constitutional rights.

Utterly Ridiculous.

People like you, (though I honestly don't know any of you, I can only respond by your posts), are responding with your short-sightedness and like to argue within the confines of a closed mind.

Utterly Ridiculous.

It's wonderful that in a free society we ARE free to speak our minds and you can do that. It just shows your ignorance.

By the way, I'm a webmaster, and I've probably been on-line since before most of you were born (1975).

Stop surfing sites like MySpace, and get a real, not virtual, life.

Kudos to you for sharing your views.

Bob

or its obvious that you dont know people who were wrongly convicted of being sex offenders, and havent seen how unfairly they are treated.

and if your such a bloody good webmaster, take some responsability and put parental controls on. if your kid goes on myspace and posts scantily clad pictures and chats with sex offenders, its YOUR FAULT. Get some balls and stop blaming it on everyone else.

I've never looked at a sex offender site but my
understanding is that the real problem with sex
offender data bases is none off 'em distinguish
types/severity of _offenses_ and only report the
existence of a conviction.

Leaves me wondering if two seventy YO men having
sex with each is still a crime in some states.

all = most

I'm a father, and there are other parents here too. I totally agree with you on the words 'starting point'.

He does monitor his children's habits. He stated that.

Furthermore, as a web developer, he shouldn't necessarily be an expert on network security and child-proofing computers.

I'm not certain if you are a parent, but once you do have children - perhaps 1 -- perhaps 4 -- it does become difficult to monitor their every action, in and outside of the home, while you and your wife/husband attempt to engage in activities that you need to in order to provide for your family and maintain sanity.

I for one post on BetaNews as it's a short attention span way of spending my mornings while I look after my son while my wife works so that I can work in the afternoon.

Furthermore, as a web developer, he shouldn't necessarily be an expert on network security and child-proofing computers.

No, not as a web developer, but as a parent he should be an expert at child-proofing. I understand that parents cannot watch their children 24/7; but you won't blame the all ages nightclub your teen sneaks out to for not identifying all the sexual-offenders at the door, will you?

MySpace, Sex Offenders, what a great combo.

Can I get fries with that also? :)

someone else spying a bandwagon huh :) ?

This makes no sense. Sex offenders would be blocked from such sites as MySpace? While you're at it, ban them from going into any kind of shopping mall or a fast food restaurant with playgrounds. I mean, those types of places put the sex offender at risk of committing another crime, right?

Absolutely ridiculous.

Also, what sex offender is going to register their online identities and email addresses? It's so easy to fake names when signing up for email accounts at Hotmail/MSN/etc, that it's impossible to know every one of their identities or catch them in a lie.

Absolutely ridiculous.

I believe they're already bared from going within a certain distance of playgrounds and schools.

Mark my words, the next step will be 6 pointed red stars on their jackets, or the high tech version of RFID tags implanted into them.

Someone say "Mark"?
Thats true though, I think it was 200 yards in my case but hey thats fine with me. I prefer the more mature crowd. Hopefully this legislation won't be passed in Florida.

In my trailer park, you can get away with anything...

then "showers" and drawstring lamps eh?

This is classic, I'm flattered someone went out and made another me.

And it's true, you can't get away with anything in my trailer park.

Doesn't Sony own a Trailer Park?

Wow. I live in Va and this is embarrassingly stupid. Nice to see we still vote technologically ignorant folk into the big house.