MySpace, 50 AGs Agree on Rules to Make Web Safer for Kids

Internet Law

MySpace, 50 AGs Agree on Rules to Make Web Safer for Kids

Posted Jan 14, 2008, 02:20 pm CST
By Martha Neil

MySpace has teamed up with prosecutors throughout the country to develop a set of principles for Internet use by teenagers that may become an industry standard. The social networking site is popular with teens and has come under increasing fire concerning sexual predators who reportedly use MySpace as a hunting ground for victims.

New MySpace rules agreed to by the website and prosecutors in 49 states and the District of Columbia now call for the social network to make private all profiles for individuals age 17 and younger. They will also permit parents to submit e-mail addresses for their children, in order to put them on a list of individuals forbidden to set up MySpace profiles, reports Fortune magazine.

Texas was the sole holdout. "We do not believe that MySpace.com—or any social-networking site—can adequately protect minors until an age verification system is effectively developed and implemented," said Texas Attorney General wrote Monday in an open letter directed to MySpace co-founder and CEO Chris DeWolfe, according to CNET's The Social blog. MySpace is organizing a task force to determine how to verify age and identity of those using its site.

A copy of a joint statement (PDF) detailing the new rules is provided by the Missouri Attorney General's Office in a press release.

ABAJournal.com: "State AGs Seek Web Protections"

ABAJournal.com: "29,000 Sex Offenders Using MySpace"

Updated 3:06 p.m. CT to include quote from Texas' attorney general.

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