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Making MySpace Safer

Burlington, Vermont - January 30, 2008

Vermont is one of 49 states to reach an agreement with the social networking giant, MySpace, that will make it safer for teens to surf the site. The settlement comes after an investigation showed sexual predators were using MySpace to target victims, but most kids in the Green Mountain State don't worry about what they put online, who is going to see it, or who might try to contact them.

"I keep my MySpace page private, and like, the profile picture isn't a really good shot of me, so people couldn't really tell who I am anyway. Yeah, I don't really let any random person see personal stuff about me online," said Eliza Rainville.

But officials say that teens have reason for concern.

"We have been notified that there have been offenders posting profiles, have been notified that solicitations have occurred through MySpace," said Detective Sergeant Kris Carlson, the director of the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigation.

Authorities say the social networking site MySpace is the second most trafficked spot on the web. It is a network with over 200 million profiles. It's a difficult network to police, since no one is checking IDs or verifying background information. Anyone can have a MySpace profile, even several of them, and post any information they want.

But a new agreement between the networking giant and the attorneys general in 49 states aims to fix that problem. The terms state that MySpace will add more than 60 new safety features, including restriction of content available to users under 18. The site will also work on implementing ways to verify the identities of their users.

"Will it help? Probably. Will it make it more difficult for potential offenders to contact their children? Probably. But does that mean it's going to make it impossible? It does not," said Carlson.

Officials warn that while the changes may reduce the number of incidents they have to investigate, the best way for parents to keep their kids safe is to get involved in their online lives.

"Parents still need to be vigilant. There isn't one organization or one group, one company that's going to be able to say, 'Yes, we're taking steps and your children will be safe online.' It's just not possible," said Carlson.

MySpace has created an internet safety task force to examine the best ways to implement the changes. They're expected to give their final report with findings and recommendations by the end of 2008.

Rachael Morrow - WCAX News