Top > Webmaster > 2006 > December > 2006-12-18

Attorney General Calls for More Online Security for Teens

Bob McDonnell, Attorney General, will promote legislation that will force convicted sex offenders to register their online identities. With community sites like MySpace are only growing in popularity all the time, there`s a concern that some people will use such platforms to harass teens sexually. There has already been a number of incidents, and by logging the online identities of convicted sex offenders, the state can block them from accessing certain sites making it safer for teens to use the web.

"We require all sex offenders to register their physical and mailing addresses in Virginia, but in the 21st century it is just as critical that they register any e-mail addresses or IM screen names," said McDonnell. After all, if sex offenders are asked to register their real addresses, in a world where cyberspace is used as often as any other communicational platform, it`s only logical to ask them for their cyber addressees as well. The online community is a place of real interactions between people and should be enforced like all other community-like platforms.

Just as parents would not want sex offenders roaming through school and other teens` gathering places, they do not want sex offenders to explore online places where teens usually socialize. This concept is rather revolutionary legalization-wise, and might have other implications. If cyberspace is as real as our everyday lives, further legislation should be considered. MySpace has a strong interest of proving that its platform is safe for children. The site will issue a database that includes the information of known sex offenders, and will constantly try to find matches between its own listings and the database.