MySpace to Safeguard Online Safety of Minors

MySpace has agreed to work with 49 states to make the internet safer for minors against predators. The social networking site favored by teens and owned by NewsCorp, will work to create an Internet Safety Technical Task Force to which other social networking sites (like Facebook) will be invited to participate.

As part of the steps, the company has agreed to respond to complaints within 24hrs, make the default profile settings for all members under the age of 18 private, develop an email registry for parents to block their children from accessing the site, screen images and videos uploaded review the content of all Groups pages, and delete the profiles of any registered sex offenders who sign up on the site. Texas is the only state that didn't sign on citing concerns with the age verification process which is not yet fail safe. MySpace Chief Security Officer Hemanshu Nigam said "Today, there is no product that can prevent someone from pretending to be a different age than they really are".

In a Forbes.com report, PFF's Adam Thierer argues that:
Even if social networks do develop a way of automatically blocking underaged kids from social networks, the international nature of the Internet means they would likely flock to less-regulated sites hosted outside the U.S. The wrong policy, he argues, could drive users to a "black market" of social networking. "With the wrong controls, we'll see a number of youngsters flock to offshore sites, where we have no control at all". "Kids will find a way to get online."