New York state toughened up its laws Wednesday in dealing with online sex offenders. Gov. David Paterson signed into law the “Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act,” also known as E-Stop. Under the new law, convicted sex offenders now have to register their Internet screen names with the sex offender registry. That information then is sent to social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, who will block the registered offenders.
In the wake of media reports of arrests or trials involving predators luring children on the Internet, this law certainly seems to be needed. More states and other jurisdictions need to step up to protect young people.
Down under, Australian authorities and the FBI teamed up to arrest a 57-year-old Canberra man who contacted two boys, 12 and 14, through Internet chat rooms. He allegedly sent them sexually-explicit images and messages, according to police. The man was nabbed when he went to meet an Australian federal agent who had posed online as a 12-year-old boy.
A Montreal 34-year-old was charged Wednesday with allegedly luring a 13-year-old girl into a sexual liaison via a chat room. The man allegedly convinced the girl to expose herself to a web cam and twice sexually assaulted her.
In the U.S., a 57-year-old La Crosse, Wisc. man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after trying to meet young girls online. He was caught by a police officer who was posing as a 13-year-old girl. He had previously been convicted for a similar crime in Virginia.
Stories like this, and the fact that they keep coming, are definitely scary. They really show how important it is for parents to speak to their kids about following Internet safety guidelines. You really don’t know who is out there!
Robin