WASHINGTON - Legislation that would let social networking Web sites screen for convicted sex offenders has elicited concern from critics who say it's unfair and won't work.
Bill proponents say it would provide a tool to track and prosecute sexual predators. Critics argue it wouldn't do enough to protect children and would result in curtailed civil liberties and unnecessary humiliation for the least-dangerous offenders.
The legislation - identical versions were introduced in the House and Senate last week - would require sex offenders to register their e-mail and instant-message addresses with the government. The Justice Department would make the information available to social networking sites.
MySpace.com, one of the largest of these social sites, said it will block membership for convicted sex offenders. Two other social sites, Facebook and Friendster, said they would follow suit.
The legislation would also make it a crime for anyone over 18 to misrepresent his or her age with the intent to use the Internet to engage in criminal sexual conduct with a minor - an offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison, said Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., who co-sponsored the House bill.
"Sexual predators have no business joining social networking communities, especially those used by teenagers," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who introduced the Senate version of the bill with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., said he expects the legislation to "enjoy broad support" from Congress as well as from the online networks. He also co-sponsored the House version with Reps. Paul Gillmor and Steve Chabot, both Ohio Republicans.
"Minors want to talk with other minors," Pomeroy said. "They don't want these predator creeps coming in and wrecking everything for everybody."
Convicted sex offenders are now required to register their online information before leaving prison, and law-enforcement officers can monitor their online activity while they're on parole. But parole officers aren't required to share the information, and offenders, once off parole, aren't required to register new e-mail addresses.
The legislation wouldn't prevent a sex offender from "lying about their age and sneaking around," Weiner said, but it would provide another tool to track down sexual predators and another penalty to pin on them.
Bill proponents say it would provide a tool to track and prosecute sexual predators. Critics argue it wouldn't do enough to protect children and would result in curtailed civil liberties and unnecessary humiliation for the least-dangerous offenders.
The legislation - identical versions were introduced in the House and Senate last week - would require sex offenders to register their e-mail and instant-message addresses with the government. The Justice Department would make the information available to social networking sites.
MySpace.com, one of the largest of these social sites, said it will block membership for convicted sex offenders. Two other social sites, Facebook and Friendster, said they would follow suit.
The legislation would also make it a crime for anyone over 18 to misrepresent his or her age with the intent to use the Internet to engage in criminal sexual conduct with a minor - an offense punishable by up to 20 years in prison, said Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., who co-sponsored the House bill.
"Sexual predators have no business joining social networking communities, especially those used by teenagers," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who introduced the Senate version of the bill with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Rep. Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., said he expects the legislation to "enjoy broad support" from Congress as well as from the online networks. He also co-sponsored the House version with Reps. Paul Gillmor and Steve Chabot, both Ohio Republicans.
"Minors want to talk with other minors," Pomeroy said. "They don't want these predator creeps coming in and wrecking everything for everybody."
Convicted sex offenders are now required to register their online information before leaving prison, and law-enforcement officers can monitor their online activity while they're on parole. But parole officers aren't required to share the information, and offenders, once off parole, aren't required to register new e-mail addresses.
The legislation wouldn't prevent a sex offender from "lying about their age and sneaking around," Weiner said, but it would provide another tool to track down sexual predators and another penalty to pin on them.
The proposal may not be effective or even fair, said David Kairys, a Temple University law professor and nationally recognized civil-rights attorney.
Kairys said there is little distinction in the sex-offender registry between dangerous sexual predators and "the usual young men's testosterone run amok," citing a case in which a 17-year-old boy was sentenced to 10 years for having oral sex with a 15-year-old schoolmate.
The legislation will harm these "nerdy offenders" who self-report, he said, and it won't stop "the real offenders, the ones who are the most devious and the most dangerous." He called the legislation "a scarlet letter."
Kairys also warned about the government "compiling lists of bad people and preventing them, with the cooperation of private individuals, of using certain things."
"What about murderers?" he said. "Why just the Internet? What about the supermarket?"
MySpace announced last month it has been developing software that would provide parents with minimal information about their children's profiles and an optional tool that would prevent minors from being contacted by adults. The company announced in December a 24-hour security team to cross-reference users' profile pictures, age, weight and locations against state databases of registered sex offenders.
MySpace has also said it will distribute Amber Alerts to notify members of missing children and has donated a database of sex offenders to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
