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New MySpace Security Measures May Be Too Late

Lawsuits, Legal Challenges Against Murdoch Site Mount

By Truman Lewis
ConsumerAffairs.com

January 18, 2007

• Facebook Agrees to Upgrade Safety Measures • Hanna Montana Photo Flap Part of a Trend • New Jersey Investigating College Gossip Site • No Easy Remedy for Imposter Postings on Social Networking Sites • Social Networking Sites Not the Biggest Danger for Teens? • Keeping Teens Safe Online • MySpace Agrees To Toughen Security For Young Users • MySpace Harassment Case Takes Odd Turn • Texas Sues Kids' Web Sites • States Keep the Heat on Facebook, MySpace • Texas Rounds Up 14 Sex Offenders on MySpace • New Jersey Subpoenas Facebook • Predator Who Used MySpace Gets Seven-Year Sentence • Facebook Has 'A Long Way to Go,' Investigators Say • Cuomo Charges Facebook Ignores Sexual Predators • MySpace Deletes More Sex Offenders • New Jersey Targets Sex Offenders With MySpace Profiles • States To Get MySpace Sex Offender Data • MySpace Deletes Thousands Of Sex Offenders • States Press MySpace For Data On Sex Offenders • Survey Finds Teen Behaviors Linked with Victimization • New MySpace Security Measures May Be Too Late • MySpace Builds Database to Target Predators • Pittsburgh Man Arrested in MySpace Sex Case • New Scam Targets MySpace Users • States Cracking Down on Dating Sites • MySpace Glitch Gives Hackers Teen Data • FTC "Concerned" About MySpace & Other Networking Sites • Texas Teen Sues MySpace for $30 Million • MySpace Debuts $1.99 Video Downloads • Massachusetts Puts Heat on MySpace.com • MySpace Names Security Czar • Connecticut Asks MySpace to Provide Blocking Software to Parents • What's Inside MySpace.com? • Connecticut Opens MySpace.Com Probe --- • MySpace Complaints • Facebook Complaints

As lawsuits and legal challenges pile up, Rupert Murdoch's MySpace is rushing to install a tool that lets parents keep track of what their kids are up to on the popular social networking site.

In the latest lawsuit, four families claim their underage daughters were solicited online and sexually abused by adult MySpace users. The families -- from New York, Texas, Pennsylvania and South Carolina -- have filed separate suits in Los Angeles Superior Court, their attorneys said.

"In our view, MySpace waited entirely too long to attempt to institute meaningful security measures that effectively increase the safety of their underage users," said one of the attorneys, Jason A. Itkin, of Arnold & Itkin, LLP.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who has organized a coalition of 33 states pressing for better security on the popular site, was also skeptical.

"MySpace's 'Zephyr' software is a shortsighted and ineffective response to a towering danger to kids. Children can easily evade the software's purported protections by creating profiles from computers outside the home. This software does noting to stop predators or protect kids from inappropriate material," Blumenthal said.

"Predators will continue to prey on children using MySpace until the web site and its parent company implement real age verification. I and my fellow attorneys general will continue to demand that MySpace institute age verification, safeguarding kids against explicit sexual material and adults seeking sex. MySpace needs to stop making excuses and introduce age verification, as well as increase its minimum age to 16," Blumenthal added.

"Age verification for users 18 and older using publicly available data is easy and effective. MySpace can confirm the ages of younger users by requiring information from a parent or guardian," he said.

Murdoch's News Corp., which also owns the Fox television network, bought MySpace in 2005 for $650 million. It has long promised to upgrade security but so far has done little to protect the children it lures to the site.

"Blaming the families of abuse victims who were solicited online, as some have done, is a cynical excuse that ignores the fact that social networking sites can lead to heinous abuse by Internet predators. It is now clear that MySpace recognizes that serious security problems exist," said attorney Adam J. Loewy, of Barry & Loewy LLP,

The lawyers said the plaintiffs include a 15-year-old girl from Texas who was lured to a meeting, drugged and assaulted in 2006 by an adult MySpace user, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence in Texas after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

The new security tool is codenamed "Zephyr" and it will alert parents to the username, age and location that their child lists on their personal MySpace pages, MySpace said. There's no word when the safeguards will be in place.

The tool doesn't let Mom or Dad see everything, for fear kids would ditch the service entirely and hook up with one of the many other competing sites. Thus, parents will not be able to see their kids' password-protected profiles or any communications they have with friends.

The key to Zephyr's effectiveness is that it will enable parents to determine whether their child is being truthful about his or her age.

"Many of our safety features are built around age and it's important that people honestly reflect their accurate age while on our site," said Hemanshu Nigam, MySpace's chief security officer.

Legal Troubles

MySpace is racing to catch up to a mounting number of lawsuits by private individuals and actions by state attorneys general.

The plaintiffs in the Los Angeles lawsuits include:

• A 15-year-old Pennsylvania girl, "Julie Doe II," who was lured to a meeting by an adult MySpace user, kidnapped, and sexually assaulted in 2006. The adult MySpace user is awaiting trial on 12 charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor.

• A 15-year-old Texas girl, "Julie Doe III," who was lured to a meeting, drugged and assaulted in 2006 by an adult MySpace user. Houston police officers and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents located the girl. The adult MySpace user later pled guilty to sexual assault and is serving a 10-year sentence in a Texas penitentiary.

• A 14-year-old New York girl, "Julie Doe IV," was lured to a meeting by an adult MySpace user, severely intoxicated with alcohol and illicit drugs forced upon her, and then sexually assaulted by the adult MySpace user and his adult friend. The men later were charged with felony sexual assault and/or felony rape by New York authorities. The friend of the adult MySpace user pled guilty and is now in a New York penitentiary. The adult MySpace user is awaiting trial.

• Two South Carolina sisters, 14-year-old "Julie Doe V" and 15-year-old "Julie Doe VI," who were lured to a meeting, severely intoxicated by alcohol and illicit drugs, and sexually assaulted and raped by two adult MySpace users. Both men were arrested by South Carolina authorities and are awaiting criminal prosecution.

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