AGs Seek Sex Offender Data From MySpace

By SAMUEL SPIES

RALEIGH, N.C. – Top law enforcement officers from seven states issued a letter to MySpace.com on Monday, asking the social networking site to turn over the names of registered sex offenders who use the service.

The letter asks MySpace to provide information on how many registered sex offenders are using the site, and where they live. North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper signed the letter, along with attorneys general from Connecticut, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Law enforcement agencies have identified more than 200 cases nationwide of children “lured out of their home by predators they met on MySpace,” Cooper said in a written statement Monday.

In their letter, the attorneys general also asked that MySpace describe the steps it has taken to warn users about sex offenders and remove their profiles.

Myspace’s policy prevents children under 14 from setting up profiles, but it relies on users to specify their ages.

The site is owned by media conglomerate News Corp.