MySpace is a popular online community for personal profiles, primarily for younger members. Concerns arise due to the potential danger of posting personal information online, allowing predators to target victims. MySpace has implemented safety strategies, but parents are advised to take an active role in protecting their children.
MySpace is a free online community made up of personal profiles aimed primarily at a younger membership. A profile on the site typically includes a digital photo and in-depth information about the member’s personal interests. The amount of detail included in the profile is at the discretion of the user and is submitted voluntarily. MySpace policy requires users to be 14 or older to join. Members regularly message each other and “network” or socialize within the community.
MySpace’s format makes it easy for anyone to submit profile information, even if they have little online experience. While the domain has proven incredibly popular, hosting over 60 million profiles, it has also come under fire. The concern is that the vast majority of members may be too inexperienced to realize the potential danger of posting personal information online. Some profiles contain not only a picture, but also the user’s first and last name, location, and details such as music and favorite foods. This information allows a predator to easily target and befriend a victim.
MySpace members may also choose to fill out “the survey.” The survey asks questions such as whether the member has ever had sex, taken a skinny dip, smoked, drank alcohol, or taken drugs. Members who post to MySpace expect their profiles to be read by kids their own age, explaining the often suggestive responses and innuendo typical of teenage bravado. Provocative or not, these profiles provide a “protected” hunting ground where would-be predators can pick, stalk and befriend victims, sight unseen. Backed by a plethora of personal information, the predator can easily manipulate the potential victim into a false sense of security and familiarity while misrepresenting themselves entirely through their own fake profile. While prohibited by the site, fake profiles are nearly impossible to prevent within the framework.
In some cases, MySpace members come forward when prompted. For example, in February 2006, CBS reported that a 14-year-old girl was approached for sex via MySpace by a 38-year-old man. The man was later arrested when police assumed the girl’s identity as he unknowingly continued to ask for sex.
The other MySpace members weren’t so lucky. Several reports from across the United States have linked the site to children who have been killed or gone missing. Shortly before 14-year-old Judy Cajuste of New Jersey was murdered on January 14, she the girl allegedly told friends of hers that she met a 2006-year-old man via MySpace. Similarly, 15-year-old Kayla Reed of Northern California was reportedly an active member of the site until the day she disappeared on Dec. 20, 15. Her body was found seven weeks later, the victim of a homicide.
While the linking of these and many other reports to MySpace may just be coincidence, the implication is troubling. Due to growing concerns, in April 2006, MySpace announced that it would begin running public information announcements geared towards educating its users. The banner ads are part of a larger campaign that began in 2004, initiated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Also, effective May 1, 2006, Hemanshu Nigan, a former federal prosecutor specializing in child labor, began overseeing MySpace’s security division. Nigan previously worked for Microsoft Corporation, developing cyber strategies designed to better protect children.
Despite online safety strategies, parents are advised to take an active role in protecting their children from online predators.
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