Pandora’s Blog

Last week, two states made the news in their fight against sexual predators on the Internet.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed Bill HB 1314 last week, making it a class 4 felony for a sex offender to use or even access a social networking site. The law goes into effect Jan. 1.

In Michigan, Attorney General Mike Cox and six state legislators announced Internet child protection legislation which would ban convicted Internet child sex predators from social networking websites, require Internet child sex offenders to appear on the state sex offender registry, and mandate lengthier sentences for possession and distribution of child pornography.

Illinois has taken a lot of flak for its law, but I have not seen so much over the proposed Michigan legislation. It’s fairly easy to see why.

Just like having your license suspended for an unpaid parking ticket (meaning nothing to do with driving, which is what your license entitles you to do), you can be branded a sexual offender for some non-related sexual reason, like urinating in public. There is also a plethora of cases that involve two teenagers, but one happens to be 18 and the other (usually the girl) just shy of that milestone birthday. Often, these cases involve enraged parents who want to punish the boy; and sometimes the two teens actually do love each other, get married, have kids, etc… but all the while, the boy/man is branded as a sexual offender because of their teenage tryst.

In effect, people like this, and those who can’t hold it until they find a bathroom, are now completely banned from social networks… in Illinois.

While I completely agree that those that prey on kids through social websites and chatrooms need to be eradicated from the internet, making a huge wide sweep like this does incriminate freedoms of a lot of people that truly have nothing to do with ‘sexual offending’, but are branded that way.

To this point, I feel Michigan has it right and other states need to follow their lead. Their proposed bills specifically target “internet child sex predators.” The key to making this method succeed would be retroactively labeling predators as an “internet child sex predator” specifically.

Read the two stories below and tell me if you agree. Is Michigan’s idea better than an all-out (Illinois) ban?

Keep in mind that the main battle should be fought at home anyway. No matter if we keep all ‘sex offenders’ off the Internet or just those that target kids, there are legions of men who have not been caught yet and are still at work. That’s why it’s a parent’s responsibility to monitor what their child is doing online, especially if they are involved in social networking. It is important to know who your kids are talking to, how they are representing themselves, what they are doing, how they are treating others, etc. In the age of digital and worldwide communication, you simply cannot look the other way while your child plays online…

(For more info on how you can keep your kids safe online, visit our website and check out our PC Pandora monitoring software…)

August 14, 2009
Illinois outlaws sex offenders from using Facebook, MySpace
Computerworld staff

The state of Illinois made it a law this week banning convicted sex offenders from using social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

The state of Illinois made it a law this week that convicted sex offenders cannot use social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

Gov. Pat Quinn signed Bill HB 1314 this week, making it a class 4 felony for a sex offender to use or even access a social networking site. The law goes into effect Jan. 1.

“I am pleased to sign this important legislation which prohibits sex offenders from using social network sites like Facebook and MySpace,” Quinn said in a statement e-mailed to Computerworld. “I want to thank the Illinois General Assembly, who passed this bill unanimously, for their commitment to protecting the families and children of Illinois.”

The new state law is geared toward making it more difficult for predators to connect with previous or new victims.

The issue, according to Dan Olds, principal analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group, lies in how to put any teeth into the law.

“Whether banning convicted sex offenders from social networking is just or not can be argued, but the greater point is if it can be enforced,” he added. “It is relatively easy to build a bogus online persona so that person can still participate in any social network. The only way to have any hope of enforcing this law is to require social networks to check user identification and then cross-reference that against court records. I doubt that will happen any time soon.”

Social networking sites, such as MySpace, have been dealing with the sex offender issue for some time. In 2007, MySpace came under fire when attorneys general from eight states told MySpace to turn over the names of potentially thousands of registered sex offenders who may be members of its site.

The states’ head attorneys said at the time that they were “gravely concerned” that sexual predators were using the Web site to lure children to meet them offline. They asked MySpace to tell them how many registered sex offenders they’ve identified on the site and what the company is doing to remove them.

Later that same year, the spotlight turned to MySpace rival Facebook when Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal warned that sex offenders were lurking on the increasingly popular social networking site.

Aug 19th, 2009
Cox: Ban Internet Child Sex Offenders from MySpace, Facebook, craigslist

LANSING – Attorney General Mike Cox and six state legislators today announced Internet child protection legislation which would ban convicted Internet child sex predators from social networking websites like MySpace and Facebook, require Internet child sex offenders to appear on the state sex offender registry, and mandate lengthier sentences for possession and distribution of child pornography.

Cox was joined by representatives of the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association, the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, the Fraternal Order of Police, and the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police.

“Make no mistake, child predators are online and looking for their next victim,” said Cox. “As technology evolves, Michigan must use innovative methods to protect our children.”

Cox cited his office’s arrest of 246 arrests of Internet child sex predators since 2003 as ample evidence of the dangers children currently face online, including nine arrested in a Livingston County sting last weekend. While his office has taught the award-winning Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative program to more than 400,000 children, changes to state law are also needed to make the Internet a safer place for kids.

Cox announced the introduction of three bills:

• Banning registered Internet child sex predators from social networking websites, like Facebook, MySpace and craigslist, with a felony penalty for violations. (Sponsors: Sen. Bruce Patterson, Canton; Rep. Joe Haveman, Holland)
• Mandating that Internet child sex predators be placed on the Michigan Sex Offender Registry. Current law contains a loophole that does not require Internet offenders register. (Sponsors: Sen. Alan Cropsey, DeWitt; Rep. Tonya Schuitmaker, Lawton)
• Increasing sentencing for possession and distribution of child pornography. The bill would require increased sentences for possession and distribution of multiple pornographic images. (Sponsors: Sen. Wayne Kuipers, Holland; Rep. Matt Lori, Constantine)

Sponsors and representatives of Michigan’s law enforcement community spoke out in support of the bills.

Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings III: “Michigan’s prosecutors believe this is an important step in protecting our children…Behind every sickening photo, there is a child who is victimized. The Prosecutors Association strongly supports this provision.”

Rep. Tonya Schuitmaker: “The recent arrests in Howell are a clear indication that this legislation is imperative for the protection of Michigan’s children. If these disturbedindividuals are this committed to preying upon vulnerable kids, we need to ensure the punishment is just as severe and that the public is aware they are predators.”

Sen. Alan Cropsey: “When I voted in 1994 to establish the sex offender registry, the internet as we know it didn’t even exist. Today, some of the most heinous sexual crimes against children are organized using computers. By adding internet predators to the sex offender registry, this bill will finally give all of us the notice we need to best protect our children.”

Terry Jungel, Executive Director of the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association: “We have always worried about predators entering our child’s bedrooms though an open window. Now that window is on our child’s computer.”

Rep. Matt Lori, a former sheriff, from Constantine: “The Internet is an essential part of everyday life for kids growing up today, but for all their computer savvy, children are still vulnerable to predators who hide behind the anonymity of the Internet to lure their victims.”

Rep. Joe Haveman: “As a father of four, I know firsthand how popular these social networking sites are with our youth. I believe it is important to keep sexual predators out of the cyberspace communities.”

Livingston County Prosecutor David Morse, on behalf of the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan: “These bills to keep predators off of social networks are part of a focused effort to keep our kids safe on line. Together with the Attorney General, we are educating children and parents about Internet safety, conducting Internet stings to catch predators like the nine individuals just arrested by the AG’s Internet crime unit and the Livingston County Sheriff, and once we convict them, this legislation completes the circle by restricting their Internet access to children.”

Citizens can report suspected Internet child predators by calling the Attorney General’s Child and Public Protection Unit at (313) 456-0180. Parents and schools may also contact the Attorney General’s office for information on our award-winning educational program, the Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative (Michigan CSI), which has been taught to more than 400,000 Michigan children.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 at 1:30 PM and is filed under Main. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.