In the aftermath of several recent incidents in which young people were exploited by adult predators on MySpace.com, and a lawsuit filed against the Web site, the company announced efforts to increase public awareness about safety issues for children using its social networking service. But Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott called those efforts "window dressing" and not real safety measures MySpace could implement to combat sexual exploitation of minors or protecting young users of from being subjected to sexually explicit images and unwanted solicitations from online predators.
Abbot contacted executives of social networking Web sites in May of this year, asking that they strengthen safeguards against pornography and sexually explicit solicitations, according to a news release. The request came after the Texas Cyber Crimes Unit arrested three men in Texas who used Myspace.com and other Internet chat rooms to solicit minors for sex.
MySpace responded with plans to partner with Hollywood movie stars in launching national television public safety advertisements and a downloadable guidebook to Internet safety for parents. Abbot is critical of this initiative, "MySpace.com continues to resist implementing real reform measures, including age verification measures and filtering software, and instead offers window-dressing that offers no real protection to the millions of children and teenagers who use their networking sites and chat rooms."
Abbott again called on site operators to implement more stringent age verification measures to protect younger users. He pressed operators to upgrade their resources and utilize filtering software that would provide parents with the opportunity to block access to the sites at their discretion. He also stressed the importance of records retention to assist law enforcement in tracing complaints of online child pornography or inappropriate contact.
This comes on the heels of a $30 million lawsuit against MySpace.com by a 14-year-old girl who is claiming MySpace.com's lack of sufficiently protecting underage members led to her being raped by a 19-year-old man in a date arranged on the website.
Chris DeWolfe, CEO of MySpace, issued a statement to Dateline stating, "As we have stated in the past, MySpace is deeply committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all of our more than 63 million members," and added that they will "continue to take a leadership role in providing a safe community for both its adult and younger users and will continue to engage with the Internet's most popular and heavily trafficked sites for which these issues are equally significant."
See Also:
Attorney
General Abbott Urges Myspace.com To Adopt Real Safety Measures To Protect
Children Online
Girl, 14, Sues Myspace
Over Alleged Sex Assault
Myspace Safety
Statement
Recommended Reading:
Ten Safety Rules for Kids
Who Use the Internet
Comments
I am sorry but parents need to take some responsibility in this too! When I was 13 and online my parents MONITORED what I did and where I went online! The parental options are even greater now in 2006! These parents are blaming the site instead of who REALLY holds the blame – THEMSELVES for LACK of parenting!
Way to go Atty. General Abbott! Working and persisting on behalf of families in Texas and beyond.
Agree with Jeanine that parents are responsible, but so are the Web sites. Modern threats are complicated and require complicated and modern solutions.
okay so im 18. i have a myspace. and i see these little girls looking like hos; stop buying revealing clothing for ur 13 yr olds and letting them take pictures with cleveage. and i agree watch them on the computer. or make urself a myspace; and make sure u add them so u can keep an eye on them. my mom has a myspace; and my cuzins have one; and their mom has one too.
my comment on children being on the internet or my space I feel that they should not beable to get on any internet site untill they are at least 18 years of age,when they can can understand it and the rules that go with it!Im not sorry for feeling this way cause that is how children get into to much trouble an have problems in later age!
Why should MySpace bear the brunt of the responsibility in this tragedy? Where is the punishment for the woman who taunted this young girl to the point of suicide? It is she and her malicious kids who are to blame.
Micheal Jackson was an awsome singer but then something happened and he got burned and turned white and weird and mysterious and turned into wacko jacko and the molesting charges and I feel for his family and R.I.P micheal jackson!