State to take measures to combat sexual predators on MySpace

PEABODY-The wildly popular and internationally known Web site MySpace has reached an agreement with more than 45 states including Massachusetts to help prevent sexual predators and others from misusing it.The social networking site has been the subject of concern for parents and authorities who have long been seeking greater controls to prevent predators from contacting children.Among other measures, MySpace has agreed to allow parents to submit their children?s email addresses so the site can prevent anyone from using those addresses to set up profiles, making the default setting private for profiles of 16- and 17-year-olds, the promise to respond within 72 hours to inappropriate content complaints, and committing more staff and or resources to review and classify photographs and discussion groups.District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said the new guidelines would help to push the point home to those who violate the site.?Before these measures, there really weren?t any penalties for those people pretending to be someone else,” he said. “So this really gives more predators a pause for thought.”Blodgett said those who continue to abuse the site could now be charged criminally for their actions and is a step in the right direction.?People often have a false sense of anonymity when they?re online,” he said. “However, predators groom their victims so that they can cause them harm and hurt them, so anything to pull away the veneer is a good thing.”The multi-state investigation was aimed at putting together measures to protect minors, remove pornographic material, strengthen software to verify the age of users and create a special high school section for users under 18 years old as additional protection.Other networking sites will be invited to participate in taking the same precautions.MySpace Chief Security Officer Hemanshu Nigram thanked the attorneys general for thoughtful and constructive conversation on Internet safety.?This is an industry wide challenge and we must all work together to create a safer Internet,” he said.Investigators have increasingly examined MySpace, Facebook and other sites where people post information, images and invite contact from other people.Last year, New York investigators said they set up Facebook profiles as 12 and 14 year olds and were quickly contacted by other users looking for sex.MySpace, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch?s News Corporation, will also accept independent monitoring and changes to the structure of its site.The new guidelines were announced Monday by attorneys general from New Jersey, North Carolina, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York.