MySpace Looks to ID Sex Offender Profiles

In an effort to curb use of the site by sex offenders, MySpace plans to introduce technology that would identify and block those attempting to use its social networking service.

While not common, criminals have used the site to solicit sex from underage members. Along with copyright issues, the protection of users from such activity is the highest priorities for the company as it looks to continue its rapid rate of growth.

Within the next month, technology from Sentinel Tech Holding called Sentinel Safe would be deployed. The technology would revolve around a database of the approximately 550,000 registered sex offenders and include identifying information that could be matched to profiles on the site.

"Sentinel Safe will allow us to aggregate all publicly available sex offender databases into a realtime searchable form, making it easy to cross reference and remove known registered sex offenders from the MySpace community," MySpace Chief Security Officer Hernanshu Nigam said in a statement.

The application is the result of joint work between the two parties. MySpace has advocated for amending sex offender laws to include registration of e-mail addresses.

Before the introduction of the technology, no efficient method of identifying sex offenders online had existed. MySpace has also announced it would dedicate a staff specifically to researching profiles, and deleting and blocking those who the system correctly identifies as sex offenders.

However, MySpace says the effort would not be enough unless Congress heeds its calls to force sex offenders to register their Internet identities. It would also work worldwide to have countries implement similar legislation.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.