In a wide ranging crackdown, over 3,500 New York registered sex offenders were kicked off Facebook and other social networking sites. The crackdown was done as part of the Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act (e-STOP) that passed in 2008.
"This should really be a wakeup call for everybody, whether it's parents watching what their kids do online, and all the law enforcement groups and authorities, and the sites themselves," one source familiar of the mass Facebook and MySpace purges said.
The sweep resulted in 3,410 accounts linked to 2,782 offenders being deleted from Facebook, and 1,975 accounts linked to 1,796 offenders being deleted from MySpace. The names of the offenders who had their accounts deleted were sent to the Division of Parole to see if they are in violation for being on social networking sites.
In New York, when a sex offender registers, they are required to list all email addresses, site profiles and account names as well as their name and address. Of the 30,000 registered sex offenders in New York, 43.5% had accounts on social networking sites. 8,106 of those supplied their online info. The remaining offenders either have no computer, are back behind bars or did not respond. Offenders must notify the state within 10 days of creating a new online profile or face a felony charge.
Source: NY Daily News
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