Oh, I'd say the AGs are getting a bit nervous since the release of the Berkman Center report, Enhancing Child Safety & Online Technologies.
As always, there's a bit more to the 90,000 sex offenders story than is being reported.
Via Computerworld:
Just two weeks after a task force whose formation was spearheaded by MySpace delivered (and sanctioned by 49 attorneys general) a report saying that social networking sites were safer from sexual predators than many people had assumed, MySpace finds itself dealing with a new inquiry related to registered sex offenders by Connecticut's attorney general.In addition, a private investigator doing work for a Hong Kong-based company involved in a legal dispute with MySpace is claiming that potentially thousands of pages on the social networking site were set up by sex offenders, based on a data-matching search he conducted. MySpace, which has yet to be given the purported findings, noted that the claims were made on behalf of a company it has sued, although the Hong Kong firm's lawyer insisted that he isn't trying to use the information as leverage in settlement talks with MySpace.
Blumenthal's subpoena coincides with the publicising of research done on the MySpace site by Steven Rambam, senior director of Pallorium. Rambam was hired to do investigative work for a company called Blue China Group that is being sued by MySpace for allegedly spamming and phishing the social networking site's users. Rambam said that while doing the work, he discovered numerous MySpace pages that were set up under the names of registered sex offenders.
(Aside. Spam is much too polite a word. Not only was Mr. Rambam was arrested by the feds a couple of years back (witness tampering, obstruction of justice), he also has a few impressive allegations made against him, i.e. allegedly uploading a sex offender photo and posting a profile through a bogus MySpace account. Now that's interesting. Read on).
(...)
Rambam showed Computerworld several examples of MySpace pages containing names and profile pictures that appeared to match those of registered sex offenders. Such pages could be set up as spoofs by other users who take the information from state registries, but Rambam and others said it isn't all that unusual for sex offenders to use their real names, addresses and photos on sites such as MySpace. They noted that offenders who fail to register under their real names on social networks often face mandatory prison terms if caught.
Spoofs? Hard to believe considering those crazy allegations made about Ranbom uploading sex offender photos to MySpace.
(...)
Nigam also pointed to the lawsuit that MySpace has filed against Blue China Group in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. The complaint alleges that Blue China Group "repeatedly phished and spammed millions of MySpace users," Nigam said. "Unfortunately, while that lawsuit continues, BCG has apparently decided to raise this unrelated issue without providing any data to support its assertions."
Kurtz, the lawyer who is representing Blue China Group, said yesterday that MySpace's attorneys have asked him to hand over Rambam's purported findings. He added that while he has no problem with doing so, he first wants to get some assurances from MySpace. "We're willing to give the information to them on certain terms and conditions," Kurtz said.
(...)
Blumenthal's subpoena and Rambam's claims follow the release earlier this month of a report by the Internet Safety Technical Task Force (Interesting timing) that painted a surprisingly benign picture of the online threats faced by children. The 279-page report , titled "Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies said the biggest dangers that teenagers and younger children face on the Internet are cyberbullying and online harassment by their peers, not advances by sexual predators."
This is getting good. REALLY GOOD.
Stay tuned.
