Finally, MySpace is getting serious about dealing with the problem of adults using MySpace to find and groom minors for sex.

MySpace is introducing a new technology that it claims will identify and block convicted sex offenders. The technology, called “Sentinel Safe”, is being provided by Sentinel Tech Holding Corporation, which specializes in background verification checks. The new technology will be introduced in the next 30 days.

The question is, however, how effective can this strategy be given that sex predators, by nature, are very devious.

The problem of predators has been a millstone around MySpace’s neck, and has been by some commentators as real barrier to future growth and profitability. Very few corporations want to be affiliated with something that is viewed by large sections of the community as a tool used by sex predators.

The head of MySpace security, Hemanshu Nigam, in a statement, affirmed the company’s commitment to keeping sex offenders away from MySpace.

Sentinel Safe will allow MySpace staff to search sex offender profiles from both state and federal registers in the US. The profiles include information such as name, age, and physical descriptions (including scars and tattoos). MySpace profiles of registered sex offenders will be deleted.

There are currently 550,000 registered sex offenders in the US, and MySpace says that Sentinel Safe will be the first database to pull information from both state and federal sex offender databases.

While it’s great news that MySpace is taking action again sex offenders, no parent (or MySpace user) should be complacent. MySpace will remain a dangerous place for unsupervised kids. For one, predators who have not been convicted won’t be on the database. And second, it’s not difficult for a sex predator to disguise his(or her) identity on MySpace.

Parents need to be very careful about what their children doing online, and must make sure that their children don’t meet up with “friends” they’ve met on MySpace, especially if they’re not supervised.

Related:

Entry was posted on Wednesday, December 6th, 2006 at 7:52 pm under Internet, Security, Technology, Web2.0.

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