State Internet Predator Law Updates
Felt like dedicating Tuesday’s blog to an update around the country of new laws being enacted in three states and another states road to a similar law.
[Step on Soapbox]
Parents and guardians: be thankful these laws are passing. They will hopefully keep the convicted guys at bay, and maybe even deter the non-convicted from predator behavior (hey, we can hope). But as great as these laws are, they will not at all stop the problem. Only convicted offenders have to register; non-convicted/caught are still out there anonymously lurking and grooming. If these scumbags are using technology to talk to your kids, why are you using technology to be a more effective and knowledgeable parent? We hope your kid isn’t talking to one of these sickos, but are you sure they aren’t. Knowledge is power. Be a powerful 21st century parent with monitoring software like PC Pandora.
[Step off Soapbox]
ILLINOIS
FLIDER’S MEASURE TO COMBAT ONLINE PREDATORS BECOMES LAW
June 25, 2008
Legislation introduced and sponsored by state Rep. Bob Flider (D-Mt. Zion) creating a new fund to provide financial support to law enforcement operations targeting sex offenders and other criminals on the Internet, became law on June 1. The measure was brought to Flider by Macon County State’s Attorney Jack Ahola and members of the Decatur Police Department.
“As technology rapidly advances we must provide our law enforcement officials with the necessary resources to combat criminals that take advantage of new technology to prey on our children,” Flider said. “This legislation will provide more resources to local and state law enforcement officers who are working hard to target Internet predators, and hopefully create a safe online environment for young people.”
Flider’s House Bill 3586, which became Public Act 95-0600, creates the Sex Offender Investigation
Fund to provide both state and local law enforcement agencies additional funding to assist in online sex offender investigations. The new law requires any criminal convicted of a sex crime to pay an additional $500 fine. A portion of the money collected will be allotted to the Illinois State Police for the issuance of grants to local sex offender investigation efforts. In addition, $100 of every fine would go directly to the local state’s attorney or police department that investigated the case.
“In recent years we have seen a sharp increase in Internet crimes committed by criminals who prey on children,” said Flider. “This legislation will help provide financial assistance to our law enforcement agencies to enable them to give greater attention to online crimes. I have always supported giving more resources to those who work to keep our communities safe and I will continue to do so.”
Flider began working on this legislation with the Macon County State’s Attorney’s office in February of 2007. Flider’s bill passed both the house and the senate without a single vote in opposition.
TENNESSEE
New Tennessee sex offender law eyes Internet
By Emily Bregel, June 30, 2008
On Tuesday, Tennessee will be even less friendly to sex offenders as new legislation heightens oversight of offenders’ Internet activity.
Registered sex offenders in Tennessee will be required to provide the sex offender registry with Internet account information, including e-mail address, user names or instant-message screen names. Offenders must notify a probation or parole officer of any changes of that information within three days of the change, the law states.
The sex offender law also requires probation or parole officers to notify the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation of any such changes.
This information will not be available to the public, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation officials said.
The new law is one of more than 200 pieces of legislation that go into effect Tuesday, ranging from the regulation of tattoo parlors to the monitoring of elementary school art supplies.
The new sex offender law will protect children who are vulnerable to the advances of sexual predators on the Internet, said state Sen. Jamie Woodson, R-Knoxville, who sponsored the bill in the Senate.
“There are sex offenders who are using the Internet to really take advantage of young children under the cloak of anonymity,” she said. “This law will do very much what we intended the registry to do, which is to let law enforcement officers and the public know what identities these folks are utilizing.”
Local defense attorney Jerry Summers said the new law is “part of an overall pattern of the Tennessee General Assembly to maintain very tight control on sex offenders in the state of Tennessee.”
The oversight can make it difficult for offenders who have gone to counseling and who are remorseful to get jobs and become productive members of society, he said.
“There are some people that may deserve to be punished, but (for others) it’s almost like a life sentence for a one-time mistake,” he said.
Another law that takes effect Tuesday is a 100 percent increase in the shipping-and-handling fee that must be paid for new license plates or decals from county clerks’ offices. The cost will increase from $1 to $2 to compensate county governments for the increased cost of mailing, Hamilton County Clerk Bill Knowles said.
The county clerk’s office often handles more than 75,000 tag registration renewals each year, Mr. Knowles said.
“It’s reached a point, with the cost of postage, that the Legislature gave the counties some relief in that cost,” he said.
INDIANA
New Indiana law aims to make cyberspace safer for kids
A new Indiana law bans registered sex offenders from social networking websites.
Jun 27, 2008
SOUTH BEND — A new Indiana law could make cyberspace safer for your children. It will ban registered sex offenders from social networking websites and require them to submit their online information.
With five teenage kids, it’s a sound Julie Tirotta is used to hearing. Her 16-year-old son Colin says hopping online always includes checking his MySpace page, sometimes up to twice a day.
“It’s nice to have it. And sometimes I do get like, ‘man I want to check it real bad!’” he said.
More and more children are spending time on social networking sites like MySpace. And officials say they’re not the only ones.
“Unfortunately it’s also an attractive tool for predators to try and meet up with our kids online,” said Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter.
A new law is aiming to better protect children. It will ban registered sex offenders from social networking websites, chat rooms, and instant messaging programs. It will also require them to submit their email addresses, passwords, and user names to the registry.
“That’s going to create a database that our law enforcement community can then use as they’re doing investigations related to improper solicitation of children on the Internet,” said Carter.
If registered sex offenders make changes to their online information they’ll also have to notify the registry within 72 hours. If they fail to do this, it’s considered a felony.
“So we think that’s a pretty strong deterrent in itself. Will 100 percent of them comply with it? I doubt it. But will a significant number? I think so,” said Carter.
With so many new people hopping online everyday enforcing the new law may be a challenge.
“It’s an escalating battle between the predators and law enforcement with the levels of enforcement that we’re capable of and the levels of deception that they’re capable of,” St. Joseph County Deputy Prosecutor Eric Tamashasky.
“Anything that will help, definitely I think is a good idea,” said parent Julie Tirotta.
The law goes into effect July 1.
Officials say parents can also take steps to learn more about what their kids are doing online. They suggest going to the website netsmartz.org.
Parents can also get software that tracks exactly what words their kids are typing into the computer. Just Google “key logging” and you find a number of websites that offer the software.
Officials also encourage parents to check the history on the browser. This will show you what website your kids have visited.
NORTH CAROLINA
House, Senate discuss sex offenders bill
June 24, 2008
The state House and Senate need to work out their differences on a proposed law that would make it a low-grade felony for registered sex offenders to use social networking web sites.
Sen. Walter Dalton, a Rutherfordton Democrat who is running for lieutenant governor, said the House deleted provisions that should have been included, such as making it a felony to lie to an SBI agent and making in-person solicitation of minors and online solicitation separate offenses.
Noelle Talley, a spokeswoman for the state Attorney General’s office said they want those provisions added back to the bill, Lynn Bonner reports.
State Attorney General Roy Cooper started pushing for the law last year. Back then, the proposal included a requirement to have social networking sites obtain parental consent before they allowed children to join.
Since then, MySpace and Facebook came to agreements with state attorneys general to add safeguards to protect minors from sexual predators.
Many sections of the original bill, including the provision that would have required parental consent for a child to join a social networking site, have been removed.
Tags: computer monitoring software, cyberbullying, electronic bullying, facebook, internet predators, internet safety, key logging software, keylogger, monitor online activity, monitoring internet activity, monitoring PC activity, monitoring software, MySpace, online bullying, online predators, online safety, PC monitoring software, pc pandora