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May 22, 2007
After first saying they would need to see a warrant, executives at MySpace.com now say they will comply with a request by attorneys general of several states, and turn over information it has about convicted sex offenders. The popular social networking site said it has purged thousands of sexual predators from its membership rolls.
In a statement, MySpace.com said it would provide information to attorneys general offices and other law enforcement agencies. The information was obtained by cross checking membership files with a national database of sex offenders.
After MySpace initially rebuffed the request, the company came under a blistering attack from Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper. Both officials were outraged, saying MySpace.com has an obligation to assist law enforcement authorities in protecting young members from sexual predators. At the time, the company said it was concerned that it would be breaking state and federal laws if it shared the information.
After reconsidering, MySpace said on Monday that it now wants to provide the information "expeditiously" to attorneys general and law enforcement agencies to assist in criminal investigations and probation or parole hearings.
The company used a computer program called Sentinel SAFE to analyze its membership and detect registered sex offenders who have signed up. The program was implemented earlier this month, the company said.
Cooper said he was pleased to see MySpace.com “step up to the plate and provide us with this very important information.”
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