MySpace Agrees to ID Sex Offenders

MySpace has acquiesced to demands from several states' attorneys general, saying it would release data on sex offenders it has identified and removed from its site.

The social networking company had originally cited federal privacy laws in declining to release the information. However, following legal actions and subpoenas filed by several of the seven states' attorneys, MySpace released the information.

North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper issued a "civil investigative demand," while Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal chose to file for a subpoena. Still others chose different routes.

MySpace received a joint demand from eight states including Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Mississippi and New Hampshire demanding the release of data from its searches using its Sentinel Safe program by May 29.

Approximately 7,000 profiles have been deleted so far. Blumenthal indicated that even having a profile may count as a violation of the probation and parole terms of convicted sex offenders.