Protecting children from Internet pervs

MySpace, Facebook - they are all the rage in social networking sites today.
However, in the great ether of the Internet, where personal profiles are easily viewed, shared - and fabricated - sexual predators lurk.
“Many of these individuals are able to prowl the Internet with anonymity,” said Governor David Paterson, who signed legislation last week designed to protect children who access social networking sites from convicted sex offenders.
Under New York State’s Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA), the Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) maintains a computer registry of the names and addresses of convicted sex offenders, and that information is made available to the public.
However, sex offenders remain free to create screen names and access social networking sites used by children, and current laws do not effectively prevent that use.
The new Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act (e-STOP), which took effect immediately, seeks to address that problem by:
(1) Requiring convicted sex offenders to register their Internet screen names with the Sex Offender Registry;
(2) Allowing social networking web sites to obtain those screen names in order to prohibit those account holders from accessing web sites on which they could contact children; and
(3) Mandating that dangerous convicted sex offenders - who are serving a term of probation, conditional discharge or parole - be prohibited from using the Internet to contact children.
“This legislation will help us to identify these individuals and restrict their access to web sites used by children,” continued Paterson. “I urge social networking site providers to take advantage of the new information in the Sex Offender Registry in order to prevent offenders from accessing their web sites, making the Internet safer for children.”
“The e-STOP law is a significant step towards protecting children online,” said Ernie Allen, President of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
As a result of e-STOP, DCJS will begin sending out approximately 25,000 letters to sex offenders who are in the Sex Offender Registry, advising them that they must register any Internet and email accounts used for purposes of online chatting, instant messaging or social networking.
DCJS will also advise offenders that if they change their email address or create a new online profile, they must notify the state within 10 days — and failure to comply with the registration requirements is a felony.
“As a young parent, protecting my children seemed as simple as locking doors and windows, knowing where they were at all times and reminding them not to talk to strangers,” said Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
“Now the information superhighway - through vehicles such as MySpace, Facebook and Instant Messaging - exposes our children to a world where danger and evil lurk behind the relative anonymity granted its users. Imposing reasonable and appropriate Internet restrictions on all convicted sex offenders required to register under Megan’s law will help make the Internet safer for everyone,” Silver said.