Pandora’s Blog

Here are two stories that show just how great MySpace is for the ill-intending. All I have to say is, parents, you gotta monitor your child’s PC activity… If these parents were involved, neither case would have happened. These are two more reasons why monitoring software like PC Pandora is essential.

Bus driver accused of using MySpace to lure teen

The Hearald Leader in Kentucky reports that a Rowan County school bus driver was arrested and charged Tuesday with unlawful transaction with a minor in an alleged incident involving a teenage boy.

State police said Gary L. Clark, 46, of Elk Lick Road, Morehead, had been in contact with the boy through a MySpace.com profile.

Police said he solicited the boy to meet him Saturday and allegedly coerced him into getting into his vehicle. There, “inappropriate actions” occurred, but police declined to elaborate.

Police seized computer equipment from Clark’s home. The boy is a Rowan County student but was not on Clark’s bus route.

Rape victim, 16, identifies suspects via MySpace.com

The Seattle PI reports that a man and three teenagers are facing rape charges after a 16-year-old girl identified her attackers through a page at MySpace.com.

Sergey Davniy, 18, and three 17-year-olds were charged last week in King County Juvenile Court with second-degree rape in the Nov. 18 attack of the girl.

According to police, the girl and a female friend used the Internet to arrange to meet the youths Nov. 18. They did, but the girl’s friend went home, leaving her alone with the young men in a car.

After giving her a large amount of alcohol, prosecutors say, the young men stopped the car in a dark stretch of road in the Eastgate area of Bellevue and took turns raping her in the back seat of the car. The young men then took the girl to her home, where the girl’s mother learned that her daughter had been assaulted.

Returning to the MySpace page where she’d met the young men, the girl was able to identify two of her attackers. Detectives then used a search warrant to get copies of messages exchanged by the youths about the rape.

OK, I will give props here for the ability to catch your attackers using MySpace – that is cool and good for the girl. But it’s also just sheer stupidity on the boys’ part; it is evidence of the overflowingidiocracy that takes place on social networks…

Now for some legitimate news on MySpace: Their follow-up to the legendary “agreement” is creating the Internet Safety Technical Task Force, which will convene a yearlong task force to explore how children can avoid unwanted contact and content when using MySpace and other popular online hangouts.

I am not knocking this at all. In fact, I can’t wait to hear their findings and recommendations. Hopefully, the message will sink in then with parents. But that still doesn’t cure the rampant stupidity and unparalleled dependency of teens on social networking websites.

You can read the AP article here: Harvard Scholars to Explore Net Safety

Here are some highlights and the short facts you should know:

• MySpace created the task force, named its members and chose Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society to run it, but the group will operate independently, according to the center. They say their recommendations will be non-binding.
• Although the task force grew out of concerns that attorneys general have about Internet sexual predators who target children on social-networking sites, it will also explore how to keep children safe from online bullies and pornography.
• Procedures for verifying users’ ages are expected to be among the topics of discussion.
• The Berkman Center has long been exploring the intersection of technology, policy and culture and recently organized a Federal Communications Commission hearing on allegations of Internet traffic discrimination by Comcast Corp.
• Tools identified by the task force would be available industry-wide, including MySpace’s rivals.

• Besides MySpace and Berkman, task force members include social-networking sites Facebook and Bebo; Google Inc., Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc. and Time Warner Inc.’s AOL; Internet service providers Comcast, AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. and child-safety groups such as the missing children’s center, WiredSafety.org and Enough is Enough.

• Quarterly reports will be sent to the attorneys general, with a final, public report expected in about a year.

 Have a great weekend!

Some of my favorite stories – and some of the most horrifying – are when those we trust with positions of power are caught soliciting kids on the Internet for sex. We’ve seen police, judges, D.A.s, etc… Well, here’s the story of a 20-year-old ‘Wannabe Cop’ busted in Ohio for sending porn to an undercover officer posing as a teenage girl.

You can watch the story here: Police: Wannabe Cop Caught In Internet Sex Sting.

Here’s a tip yo – pursuing underage chicks on the net ain’t the best ‘next step’ on your path to becoming a cop. Moron.

Do I have to say it? Parents can’t trust anyone but themselves to keep your kids safe. Here’s a guy who was hoping to be entrusted with keeping citizens safe - and he’s tryin to pick up teenage girls. Brah-Vo. Thankfully there were no real minors involved in this case, but there could have been. Police have seized his computer – who knows who else he was talking to and what they will find…

Protect your family with PC Pandora monitoring software. $50 will buy you a substantial chunk of peace of mind.

This college student calls himself an “Internet humanitarian,” but I call him a righteous vigilante with a great idea! I chuckle inside, but this is no laughing matter.

“Rob” from the Seattle area, was targeted on MySpace by a suspected predator when he was younger. Now in college, he operates undercover on MySpace from his dorm room, posing as an underage girl, building cases against predators. Since November of 2006, he has tracked down some 6,700 profiles he believes are perverts, pedophiles and predators posing as teens themselves in search of young girls and boys.

Watch the KING 5 News story here: ‘Internet humanitarian’ hunts down online predators

Hey Rob, if you need some PC Pandora monitoring software, to record all of your interactions and crusading – let us know!!! We’d love to help you nab some of these pervs! Keep up the good work!

What a great, yet obviously disgusting and tragic, follow-up to yesterday’s post. This story surfaced last week from Marietta, GA:

Cobb County police say an Atlanta man sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl he met on MySpace.com.

Police say 22-year-old Nehemiah Musa Wells was arrested Wednesday after the girl’s father found him hiding in her bedroom.

The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office says Wells was charged Thursday evening with aggravated sexual battery, child molestation and sexual battery.

Cobb police spokeswoman Officer Cassie Reece says Wells started the relationship with the girl on the social-networking Web site last fall.

The arrest warrant says Wells first met the girl at her home on November first and engaged in sexual intercourse with the girl without her consent at the time.

Reece said she did not know whether Wells has an attorney.

See, the thing is, that obviously the girl consented to a meeting. It is unknown whether the guy lied about his age (in reference to the much-talked about study that says perverts don’t masquerade as teens online; rather, they are honest and prefer grooming – yet everyone seems to interpret this as “oh, well, if no one is hiding then the Internet is safe”). But clearly this is a huge issue of parents not paying attention to their young Internet user’s activity online. Big mistake.

Parents need to be monitoring their child’s online activity. To be honest, I read stories like this almost weekly, but I chose not to post them here, because it’s all the same story. Parents not paying attention to child, who is consequently befriending an older person they met online (often MySpace) and then having sex with them – either voluntary or involuntary. But if people are going to interpret the recent study as claiming ‘if no one is hiding or posing as a teen, social networks must be safe,’ then I am going to throw up a few reminders. They are not safe, and part of the problem is the young users who want to take risks. Parents, please monitor your child’s Internet and computer activity. Use monitoring software to identify Internet predators that may be talking to your kids (not to mention cyberbullying).

For less than the cost of a family dinner at a restaurant, you can get peace of mind throughout the teenage years with PC Pandora 5.0.

You want more reasons that parents should be cautious of their online teen’s activity? Check out this article from last week about a 13-year-old girl who had developed a relationship with a 33-year old man online, which had escalated to phone calls. That is the step before a face-to-face meeting, FYI. [Hawkins teen calls 33-year-old man she met on MySpace]

Thankfully, the girl had only spoken to the man over the phone after communicating with him in a teenage chat room on MySpace. (Don’t even get me started)… The girl stated that she had been speaking to a 33-year-old man on MySpace who said he was a truck driver. He gave his phone number to the girl via e-mail. The girl’s father found out about the phone calls, called the man, and told him not to speak to his daughter again. There were multiple calls made, but for the communications to be a criminal act, the man would have had to proposition the girl or send her illicit materials.

Even if this incident doesn’t result in criminal charges, this should serve as a wake-up call to parents – MONITOR YOUR CHILDREN’S INTERNET ACTIVITIES!

There has never been a great need for monitoring software like PC Pandora 5.0… Do you know what your kids are doing online?

This is a follow-up to my rant about the new study released that has everyone rejoicing under a bogus pretense.

Kristin Smith at First Coast News in Jacksonville FL did a story with David Finkelhor, the Crimes Against Children Research Center Director. You can read the full story here: Study Challenges Notions About Cyber-Predators.

The gist is quite exactly what I have been saying: yes, the ‘go-to’ description of a scary guy posing as a teen has been debunked. But not that many guys were doing that to begin with – rather, they take their time to groom kids and “many kids know exactly what they’re getting into”!!!

Kids will go off to meet these adults, knowing they are adults, and thinking they are friends or – even worse – thinking that they’re in love with these people. THAT is just pure immaturity (yet another reason teens can’t handle the full power of world wide connectivity). Then they have multiple sexual encounters with the adults.

Now, that doesn’t mean the adults aren’t predators. They are, they are dangerous and they are exploitive. All the study showed was that the preconceived notion is wrong. That does NOT mean the web is safer and that social networks are better. It is NOT a victory for MySpace.

Children play a big part in making themselves victims. It’s up to parents to talk to their kids and monitor their online activity. Parental control and monitoring software, like our PC Pandora 5.0, can be your best friend and ally in the fight to keep your kids safe online!

The last couple of days everyone has weighed in on this new study – so I guess it’s my turn…

Study Facts
Title: Online “Predators” and Their Victims: Myths, Realities, and Implications for Prevention and Treatment
Origin: Crimes Against Children Center at the University of New Hampshire
Published: February/March issue of American Psychologist, a publication by the American Psychological Association (APA).

The study was based on three surveys—two comprising telephone interviews of a combined 3,000 Internet users between the ages of 10 and 17; first in 2000 and again in 2005; and one involving 612 interviews with federal, state and local law enforcement officials in the United States between October 2001 and July 2002.

First of all, why is the compiled data so old?

Findings

• Internet offenders pretended to be teenagers in only 5% of the crimes studied by researchers. Contrary to stereotype, most Internet sex offenders are not adults who target young children by posing as another youth, luring children to meetings, and then abducting or forcibly raping them. Rather, most online sex offenders are adults who target teens and seduce victims into sexual relationships. They take time to develop the trust and confidence of victims, so that the youth see these relationships as romances or sexual adventures. The youth most vulnerable to online sex offenders have histories of sexual or physical abuse, family problems, and tendencies to take risks both on- and offline.
• In spite of public concern, the authors of the study found that adolescents’ use of popular social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook do not appear to increase their risk of being victimized by online predators. Rather, it is risky online interactions such as talking online about sex to unknown people that increases vulnerability, according to the researchers. Youth who engaged in four or more risky online behaviors were much more likely to report receiving online sexual solicitations. The online risky behaviors included maintaining buddy lists that included strangers, discussing sex online with people they did not know in person and being rude or nasty online.

• Most Internet-initiated sex crimes involve adult men who are open about their interest in sex. The offenders use instant messages, e-mail and chat rooms to meet and develop intimate relationships with their victims. In most of the cases, the victims are aware that they are talking online with adults.

  

• Nearly 75% of victims who met offenders face-to-face did so more than once.
• Online sex offenders are seldom violent, and cases involving stalking or abduction are very rare.
• Boys who are gay or are questioning their sexuality may be more susceptible to Internet-initiated sex crimes than other populations. Researchers found boys were the victims in nearly one-quarter of criminal cases, and most cases included facts that suggested victims were gay or questioning their sexuality.

Once again, a new study means a new bandwagon to jump on. This time it’s the good ol “see, I told you so.” [In regards to accusations that the media is overhyping the Internet predator scenario]

See you told me what? Did this really debunk anything? Isn’t it kind of a known fact that predators are both ‘lurkers’ and just average sicko creepy guys who are upfront about their desires?

Does this decrease the amount of oldermen-looking-for-sex-with-teens on the net? No. Do a search online. Not a week goes by where there aren’t arrests in some part of the country of scumbags trying to solicit teens for sex. In most cases, they didn’t lie about anything. So where’s the myth stemming from?

Something that is even scarier is the number of instances where teens are meeting older guys for sex – with full consent. The predators aren’t lying. In fact, why bother to lie at all when there are so many teens will to take risks, there’s no reason to lie.

Either way, the study is interesting and definitely check it out – just don’t jump on the bandwagon. If anything, read between the lines here and acknowledge the fact that “grooming” is a larger epidemic… Are your kids being groomed? Do you know who your kids talk to on the Internet?

You would know if you were using PC Pandora 5.0 monitoring software to monitor your child’s Internet activity…

Normally, I don’t make a big show about caught and arrested predators because… well, there are just so many stories out there daily. But I do like to bring them to y’alls attention when they are out of the ordinary (one of the basic ideals that makes a good journalism story).

The first story is related to the group of 28 men rounded up last year during a “To Catch a Predator” sting in NJ. Superior Court Judge Barbara Ann Villano sentenced Howard Thornton III (a 28-year-old warehouse manager from Danielsville PA, and father of 6-year-old twin girls) to 3 years in prison for his online solicitation of a person he thought was a 12-year-old girl. Under the imposed sentence, Thornton will be subject to lifetime parole supervision and to the reporting requirements of Megan’s Law.

Again, while Dateline’s go-to-sting unit, Perverted Justice, has been scrutinized for their tactics, there is no doubt that these guys caught still knew what they were doing and were looking for sex with little girls. Many have been able to get away, almost scot-free – so it’s good to see some justice finally prevailing.You can read this full article here: Man, 28, gets 3-year prison term for child luring.

The second story is just ridiculous. Every once in while a “good guy” is caught, sometimes it’s a cop, a judge, whatever-have-you… this time, it is a lawyer for the Marion County Public Defender Agency (Indiana).

Ryan W. Snyder, 29, was arrested Sunday on preliminary charges of dissemination of matter harmful to a child and child solicitation. Apparently, he used the Internet to set up a sexual encounter with what he thought was a 15-year-old girl. As one of his charming techniques, he sent an explicit photo of male genitalia. Yeah, that’s what a 15-year old girl wants to see…

Snyder is a court-appointed attorney who last year earned $43k representing clients who are unable to afford their own lawyers. He has worked as a public defender for about a year and primarily defends clients in drunken driving and other misdemeanor cases.

Read the full story here, Public defender could be suspended after sex sting, and check out his mug shot and the other little goon that was arrested in the same sting – but not without striking a female office with his car first!

The point here, parents, is that these guys do exist. You can read various stats on the amount that actually succeed, and you can believe reports that the predator threats are over-hyped… but here are two guys caught this weekend and the 3rd of 28 caught a while ago finally getting a sentence. I hate to sound like Santa in the holiday M&M commercial, but… “they do exist.”

All the more reason to make sure you are monitoring PC activity with software like PC Pandora 5.0. If your kids are in contact with an Internet predator like these guys, you will know! And knowledge is power…

That’s right, moms and dads - we’ve finally released PC Pandora 5.0!!

The link to our press release online is here. Here is what the release says:

Pandora Corp. Releases PC Pandora 5.0

Leading monitoring software program strengthens its established first-rate capabilities with new version 5.0; PC Pandora provides parents with an unparalleled eye into their children’s Internet activity and helps keep kids safe online.

New York, NY (PRWEB) February 18, 2008 — Pandora Corp. announced today the official release of PC Pandora Version 5.0, the latest revision of their signature software. New, improved monitoring capabilities come at a time when parents are being barraged with horror stories of young Internet behavior and are looking for a solution to keep their kids safe online.

From threats of Internet predators, to rampant cyberbullying to kids simply being kids and not recognizing the full effect of their actions, the ‘margin for error’ on the Internet is wide. And while local law enforcement executes sting operations and state legislatures rush to put better laws in place to ensure safe surfing, experts agree the best defense is a good offense - at home. Pandora Corp. has pledged to give parents the help they need.

“Parents are really getting it from all sides,” explains co-founder Manuel Coats. “Stories of sexual predators on social network websites, TV specials on the risky behavior and secret lifestyle of young internet surfers, ‘expert’ advice on how to raise your kids, the list goes on.”

But it seems the one thing they don’t get is a concrete technology solution, and Coats says that’s where technology and PC Pandora comes in.

Welcome to 21st century parenting. PC Pandora monitoring software works like a DVR for your PC. By recording and taking sequential snapshots of what is on the computer screen, PC Pandora 5.0 enables parents to see exactly what their children saw - and did. In addition, it has all the features that other programs utilize, such as website filtering, program blocking, keystroke logging, and it will even email a busy parent at work with updates on their child’s activity. The new PC Pandora 5.0 builds upon its established first-rate monitoring capabilities and tosses a few new tricks into the bag, including a new webcam capture, chat control blocking and file tracking. They have also given the user interface a makeover and improved the fundamental stealth tactics and database technologies.

“Parents know that kids are savvy enough to bypass most Internet filters and controls. That’s why we feel that being able to see what your kids are doing is just as important as setting up roadblocks and restricting access. If you can see what they are doing, you can talk to them about it and keep them in check,” says Coats.

Pandora Corp. has continuously urged parents to educate themselves about the Internet and to talk to their kids about potential dangers. Like most experts, Coats says that discussion is key. Monitoring software like PC Pandora will give parents the knowledge they need to confront their child about appropriate online behavior. For many parents, it will offer reassurance and - hopefully - peace of mind.

“The bottom line here is you have to know what your kids are doing online,” says Manuel Coats. “Where they are going and who they are talking to is key. We feel strongly that PC Pandora is the best all-around defense parents can get to help keep their children safe online. If someone is approaching a child with ill intentions, or if a child is engaging in risky behavior, the parent will know.”

As a special promotion to celebrate the Version 5.0 release, the company is offering the software at a discounted price. Parents can use the code ‘ver5′ at the pcpandora.com store to get $10 off the Standard or Pro editions (2 licenses) of the program. You can also find 18 Tips for Safe Surfing on their website, http://www.pcpandora.com/.

Alarming Statistics Concerning Young Internet Activity:

• According to Pediatrics’ Growing up With Media Survey of 1,588 youths aged 10-15, 15% percent of kids reported receiving an unwanted sexual solicitation online in the last year; 33% reported being harassed online in last year.
• The same report shows both unwanted sexual solicitations and harassment more commonly occurring via instant messaging and in chat rooms than through social networking sites.
• According to 2006’s Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later report, 34% of youth online have had unwanted exposure to sexual material - pictures of naked people or people having sex. 27% of the youth who encountered unwanted sexual material told a parent or guardian; however, if the encounter was defined as “distressing,” 42% told a parent or guardian.
• 71% of all parents stop monitoring their child’s use of the Internet after the child turns 14, not knowing that 72% of all Internet-related missing children are 15 years of age or older. - Dist. Attny, Cnty of Los Angeles

About PC Pandora: Pandora Corporation was formed with one goal - to help our customers monitor, control and protect their families and themselves online. First released in mid 2005, PC Pandora has been constantly upgraded to industry-leading specifications and has received accolades from users, reviewers and even school districts and law enforcement agencies, who use the program to help in the day-to-day supervision of the children and citizens they are charged with protecting. The company website devotes space to helping parents with 18 Tips to Safe Surfing and Pandora’s Blog, where current news in the world of online safety is discussed regularly. PC Pandora has vaulted into a leadership position by boasting a combination of features that unparalleled in the monitoring industry. In February 2008, Version 5.0 was released, again widening the spectrum of coverage and protection offered by the program. In addition, through the company’s Safe Schools program, schools and school districts can receive up to $100,000 worth of software to aid in protecting their students and their PCs. PC Pandora is also now available through the Pandora Corp. store at Amazon.com.

Thought I’d share some legislative news today. Two states have taken steps in banning online predators from social networks sites, while another tries to close a loophole.

First up: New York’s eSTOP Act. I blogged about this a couple weeks ago when the bill was introduced. Aside from the glaringly obvious issues of enforcement, the bill seems to at least have a good idea at heart. On Tuesday, it passed the state Senate. It now moves on to the General Assembly and is expected to pass. You can read the AP article here: Bill requires sex offenders to register online identities.

Next in Kentucky, Mike Petchenik at WLKY did a great story on the lack of proper laws in the state to punish captured online predators. As one cop in his story said, “If I had a webcam and I showed myself masturbating to a little girl, in Kentucky that’s not against the law. It’s a Class A misdemeanor, which we can’t do anything about. It’s just a misdemeanor. In Florida, it’s three years to serve in prison.” [Watch the video here: Kentucky Lacks Laws To Punish Predators]

As a result of loopholes like this, lots of predators are targeting kids in KY cause they know they can get away with it.

Now, in addition to that, in his report, Mike mentions a cyber stalking bill, which is actually House Bill 367. I wrote to Mike and he told me that the bill actually passed committee the following day and will now go before the full house. That is great news! Incorporated into this bill are not only the provisions to prosecute for cyber stalking, but also soliciting a minor.

You can find out more about House Bill 367 in this piece by WAVE 3 (Louisville) Investigative reporter, Janelle MacDonald: Conway proposes sweeping changes to deal with Internet predators.

The final state in my trio of reports today is Alabama. Apparently, they suffer they same law-deficiencies as Kentucky. It is actually OK for an Internet sicko to solicit someone they think is a minor IF the ‘minor’ turns out to be a cop. Let me clarify: according to this OP-ED article (Closing predators’ loophole):

In Alabama, Attorney General Troy King says a loophole in state law seriously limits what prosecutors can do with an offender like those uncovered in the “Dateline” stings.

The Gulf Shores Police Department has focused on using the Internet to lure sexual predators but because it uses decoys to do so, rather than exposing a minor to a potential molester, the cases could be in jeopardy.

Baldwin County District Attorney Judy Newcomb said 30 Gulf Shores cases were dropped to lesser charges last year because judges found that the suspects had to have solicited an actual child to be charged with using a computer to solicit a child, which is a Class B felony that can send someone to prison for up to 20 years.

A bill is working its way through the legislature now with specific language that states: “The fact that an undercover operative or law enforcement officer was involved in the detection and investigation of an offense under this section shall not constitute a defense to a prosecution under this section.” The bill would establish that “the crime may be committed if the defendant believes the person being solicited is a child.”

Apparently the same bill was introduced last year, passed the house and then stalled in the Senate. Ummmm… Why?!

Forget about dealing with social networks and trying to get scumbags to be honest – at least when they are caught for the crime – don’t let the law let them get away!

While the issue and question of “entrapment” comes up… ummm… how much do you REALLY want to protect and excuse these prevos that are trying to have conversations like the ones they have with people they believe are underage girls and boys. What if it was your kid?

So, parents, once again, while the states try to protect your kids, there is still a lot of ground to cover. Don’t fall victim to false hope and forthcoming regulations – protect your own kids! Monitor their computer activity with software like PC Pandora version 5.0… For less than the cost of the flowers you bought/received for Valentine’s Day today, you could have peace of mind in your child’s Internet activity.

Love and safe surfing to all…