Online Predators

Looks like Dr Phil jumped on the bandwagon . . . pursuing online predators! Check out Dr Phil show for May 22nd, if interested.

Note: previous dialog on this subject is posted here

"MySpace" came up there, too! Anybody getting a clue?? Apparently, Dr. Phil has! Good for him!!

I really do wish that anyone here that belongs to MySpace or has relatives of friends who do, would see the danger and just get out!

w00t w00t - I am so glad when some one does some thing about all the EVIL....

I'm watching the show right now. I've watched the Dateline specials, too.

MySpace isn't to blame for perverts taking advantage of the service. And it's not just MySpace; MySpace is the most popular community right now, so it gets the most news about it. There are other sites something like MySpace--Xanga, Hi5, and others--and perverts don't just hang on those kinds of sites. They hang wherever they think they'll find teens and children, as well as other perverts. That includes chat rooms, posting boards, email lists, and anywhere else they can access children. These communities also help people. There are support communities on MySpace as well. Unfortunately, when communities and services to access other people are created, there are always those who will abuse those communities and services. If you eliminate communities, you'll also take away peoples' access to support.

MySpace is taking some action to protect people, using security programs and such, but they can't stop all these dangerous people. Parents need to do what they can to protect their kids. Too many parents let their kids keep the computer in their bedroom, and don't monitor what their kids are doing online. Lots of parents don't even know their kids have websites and MySpace/Xanga/Hi5/other community sites. And even if they do, many don't know what their kids are posting on those sites.

I agree with Maven.

If I open a coffee shop, I cant be responsible for the type of people who meet up to go for coffe, you know? Or for example I cant tell an older man and a young girl to not have coffee in my shop , for all I know they are father and daughter. I can take some obvious steps to make it known that people should be careful, but ultimately it is the job of the parent to educate their children about child predators and dangerous situations.

This is the same as ANY online community. The same thing could happen ANY where. I am sure it used to happen on the old IRC channels( I know it did, i received a few passes myself, but I knew better than to give them info or anything). The problem is, when you have a website like myspace, there is no way to know who is lying and who is not short of having everyone fax in id or meet in person. Same for yahoo, same for msn, same for any of the big websites that get used. These predators use alot more than just myspace, its just that myspace gets sensationalized because it is "emo" and also "cool". Its a fad, and it will pass with time. Other websites that have this problem include hotornot, facethejury, any of the dating sites(such as lavalife) msn spaces, hi 5, tagworld, there are many, many many places.

If anything I think that myspace should be running a warning or at least a faq on their site explaining the possible dangers, and information on how to keep safe.

I dont think that we should blame Myspace for the activities of its so-many-thousands of users. It simply is not fair. It would be the same as if someone did something to hurt someone else on here, and then we blamed PC saying it was horrible for allowing these things IMO.

I also beleive we need to take greater responsibility for the types of activities we engage in online. Though the things that happen can be scary, there are precautions we can take such as not disclosing personal trackable information, not giving our website out to others we do not know or trust,putting netnannys on the computer to block out websites, sitting with our children and explaining if potentially harmful websites come up, education education education!

There ARE good meetings via the internet as well. When I was a girl, I chose to meet someone I had talked to online for a long long time. It was another girl my age. My parents called her parents and spoke with them, and everyone made arrangements to meet at a local fair! We all had a great time, my parents met her parents, it was public and safe, and the girl and I stayed pen pals for a very long time. it can work out and be ok, but only if you understand it for what it is and take precautions.

IMHO - - MySpace does and is some what responsible for the EVIL & TRASH that has found its way on the site.... for they are a FREE HOST, meaning no restrictions made to what is posted.


LoVe,
Rhapsody -

Bottom line, we all need to be responsible for ourselves. Those of us who have young children or grandchildren need to take responsibility for what they do. WE need to watch them and take care of them instead of letting the computer keep them occupied in who knows what.

As a parent and grandparent plus a woman that has had a soft spot for little kids all my life, I feel somewhat responsible for the wellfare of ALL kids. If I had the means, I would help put all those perpetrating injustices and crimes against kids away for the rest of their lives!

No, you have no right interfering verbally or physically with an old man and a child. But you sure can keep your eye on them if something seems out of whack and then contact the authorities if something suspicious happens.

Yes, MySpace is catching all the notoriety right now. So close it down or change the FREE HOST status. It's causing harm the way it is right now. The same with other sites like it. When I first came on AOL, there were moderators in each chat room. I suppose they've gone by the wayside, but if so, they should hire a bunch of people to watch what goes on in the KID'S chat rooms. Let the adults fend for themselves. If adults want to put themselves in harm's way, that's their problem. We as a country need to protect our YOUNG, our hope for a good tomorrow!

Getting off my now.

absolutely good points sept.

I am hesitant to go with changing the free hosting however, as I am a big fan of free since i can't afford to pay for hosting but still like to have websites which show off my art, or my blogs etc.

The thing i think needs to be done on the internet is much like there is an adultcheck verification for some not-so-classy- sites if you all know what i mean, then why couldnt there be a way to register anyone over the age of 13(obviously with parental consent) so that when they go to various websites, they need to provide their verification number to the site before they can register. Sort of like a central database(perhaps run by a not for profit or some other reputable company)so that it is easy to track who is where and who is not, without infringing on privacy.

but thats where it gets sticky - at what point are we protecting and at what point are we infringing on privacy?

The reason most websites dont ask for explicit ID is because they make money off of advertising, and turning people away is not going to make them money. so they find the most relaxed way to go about it.

however myspace is certainly stepping up to the plate and has been doing quite a bit from what i hear now that they are aware(or more aware) of the situations.

Can we share the

Being a free host does not mean they can't make rules. And they do have rules; but there aren't enough people to enforce those rules. Just like there aren't enough police in all areas to protect everyone at all times. Not everyone can afford to pay for support and friendship. Do you want to have to pay for every site, chat, message board and forum you use? Including this one?

MySpace cannot monitor every person and every post on its site. What they can do is help police set up stings and such. MySpace and other sites like it can be used as a tool for catching dangerous persons.

And charging won't stop predators. They have jobs, money, etc., just like everyone else. And many of them use anonymous services or know how to "hide" online.

Adult checks are helpful, but not foolproof. Children can steal their parents' credit cards, and other people can steal IDs. Some people aren't careful with their statements, and may not notice an usual charge if it came up but didn't add an unusual amount.

Live chats, email lists, newsgroups, message boards, MySpace, and other forums could all shut down, and it still wouldn't stop it. Predators will still find a way. All you'll be doing is taking these services away from those who are helped by them.

Not all of these perverts have records (yet), so they're not easily trackable. Statistics say most pedophiles have molested over 100 children before they're caught for the first time.

Several years ago, I posted on an adult newsgroup, and someone asked what NAMBLA (The North American Man-Boy Love Association) was. I replied, and I used the term "sickos" in my answer. I received several anonymous responses calling me names and criticizing me for calling pedophiles "sickos." Pedophiles are underground, and taking away these forums where we can catch them will drive them further underground, but they'll still be connected to one another, organized, producing child porn and sharing it. It's easier to catch them if they're where we can see them.

And, there are sites that charge money to view adult content that many are offended by. I don't mean general porn, or even kinky or fetish porn, which is ok by me, but porn in which people or animals are victimized. There are sites that claim to have bestiality pics, for instance, that charge money. Charging money isn't going to stop anything.

"at what point are we protecting and at what point are we infringing on privacy?"

IMHO, I think that when it comes to protecting kids there should complete privacy for them and NO privacy for anyone else other than the parents.

As for blogging, my understanding of a blog is that it's like a diary or a journal. There is NO way that I would keep a blog, if indeed that's what they are, were anyone else can read it. It would be my decision as to whether I let anyone read it or not.

It's been my experience that kids, especially teenage girls, tend to dramatise and exagerate. When they begin having romantic or sexual feelings and write about it in a public place, it's an immediate turn-on for any pervert. Pedophiles will do anything it takes to find out who those girls are!

Guess it's a good thing I don't have teens and pre-teens at home anymore. They'd probably hate the rules they'd have to live by! LOL

FREE HOST does not mean FREE as in MONEY..... it means that the world is open to any thing and everything.... and all without restriction - FREEDOM for anything they want or desire to show, write, say and see.

> > > > > > > > > PeAcE

LoVe,
Rhapsody -

I think we all are making excellent points i just wanted to say!

Pedophiles and predators don't just go after girls, and not just after children who post about love and romance.

Children should have privacy and no one else should? Everyone deserves privacy. Some people are harmed when their privacy is violated, and deserve peace of mind. Rape victims aren't always children, but they deserve privacy. One's thoughts should be private until one wants to share them.

I just wanted to make a point.

Even some of the minors on MySpace lie about their age and other things. Many of them are looking for sexual attention, regardless of their age. I've seen some of them asking for sex when they look extremely young.

If you really want to protect children and others from sites like MySpace then maybe you should restrict their use of computers, monitor each site they go to, and really start watching them.

Exactly, Lex!

How can you restrict what people say on a huge site like MySpace, Rhapsody? Like I said, they can't monitor every person and every post. I don't know what country you're from, but in the U.S., we believe in free speech. Controlling what people say and do--which isn't always possible--doesn't change what they think. I want to know what people think, and I want to know who my enemies are. Not allowing people to say what they really think makes it even easier for them to hide things. I believe anyone should be able to do anything they want, as long as no one gets hurt and no one else's rights are infringed.

For those who say they should hire people, not every company has the money to hire people, and not everyone is willing to work for free. Plus, in some cases, anyone they hire might have to be in the same area as their main building. Plus, you can't be sure enough people would apply, and with clean background checks.

you know, this brings us to another issue altogether. do you think the massive globalization of the internet lends itself to this kind of thing?

The Internet makes it easier for these people to find each other, connect and share pictures and stuff, but they were doing that before the Internet. Just like it makes it easier for people with difficult lives to find each other. And romance seekers to find each other.

There are travel services for pedophiles and freaks to take sex tours around the world. The sex trade is HUGE. Women and children are forced into it, molested and raped, manipulated with threats of harm to people they love or themselves, even sold into the trade by their own parents and families. I remember one documentary where a family sold one child so they could afford to feed the others. There are married men with children among those that seek to have sex with children. They don't get proper medical care and often end up with diseases. In some places, people are misinformed about HIV and AIDS, and men with these diseases believe that they can be cured by having sex with a virgin (I'm not sure, but I think I read they believe they can pass the disease to the virgin and be cured that way), so they'll seek out a young child, because a child is more likely to be a virgin.

While the Internet makes it easier for these people to connect, I also think it lets their victims connect and make others around the world aware that they're not alone, so we can work together to stop as many of these people as we can.

My two cents: The internet reveals there's more pedophlia than most people are willing to admit. The true numbers are staggering.
Checking in on the Dateline web site, whew, their pedophilia series cuts it straight across age, race, religion, profession (everyhing but women, internet pedophilia is a guy thing)..... "travelers" they call them, these guys who surf for children to abuse.... most drove at least 2 hours to get to their target "child", "alone" in a house somewhere.....

When busted almost all the men said they were not there for sex (even though one guy stripped on his way in !!! ) Almost all said they were stupid. Almost all said it was there first time and that they would never do it again. Almost all thought they could just get up and walk away now cause they had'nt "done" anything. (Even though many had seen the series and wondered if they were walking into a set-up. !!!! . and the men they saw on the show got busted just for the dirty email part!!!!!)

Still these men came after these kids, writing their dirty lying
emails, showing up with condoms and alcohol to hand..... talk about obsessive compulsive disorder, denial, narcissism, dissociative elements, etc......

These creeps give mental illness a bad name.

I just thank all the forces of good that exist, that the internet didn't exist while my father was alive.

I think the internet just makes it easier for pedophiles to target their next prey. (not like they have any problems with that in the first place) Although I think that over 50% of men are like that, the numbers in general are pretty high for both men and women pedophiles. Although I've never heard of women pedophiles on the net, I'm sure they are out there, too.

I was talking to my sexual abuse T a few weeks ago and she asked me what I thought the percentage of children who were sexually abused was. I was serious when I told her 75%. Although the real percentage was much less, my percentage that I gave her was pretty accurate for the dirty little town that I was raised in and have since left.

I think that if you're looking on the net for something, no matter what it may be--illegal or legal, you're gonna find it. I go looking for people to relate to and family. Other people go looking for love and yet others go looking for their next victim. It doesn't matter if what you're looking for is stirred by some evil desire, you're gonna find it.

For those guys that said they weren't meeting those kids for sex, well they're just lying through their freakin teeth!

There are more pedophiles and predators (not necessarily the same thing) than anyone knows. That's because many haven't been caught yet, and many victims are afraid to speak out. These men and women can't help themselves, but that's not a reason to let them get away with it or not be put away. People who are dangerous to society need to be taken away from society.

Pedophiles are people who want to have sex with pre-pubescent children. There's a different term for those who seek teens, but I forget what it is; it doesn't matter much, because in both cases, people shouldn't be trying to have sex with them. But pedophiles aren't always predators. Predators seek to commit harm. Pedophiles often think the children want them to do the things they do, and they think they're showing love for the child. It's sick, it's demented, but that's what they think. Both predators and pedophiles cause irreparable harm. But the difference is important because, if we're ever able to identify these people before they commit their first act, we might be able to fix them. There might be certain things that help identify a predator vs. a pedophile, and those things might be important in curing the person, if it's ever possible. If a pedophile ever realized what he desired was wrong but hadn't ever harmed a child yet, and wanted to get help, I would give him credit for that, and want him to be helped. Once he's harmed a child, forget it. That's a person who needs to be put away.

I don't think half of all men are pedophiles, but I think there are a lot of men who would have sex with a young teen, given the chance and if they knew they could get away with it. The reason I think that is, I've heard a lot of guys make jokes about it, and even on TV, guys sometimes refer to how yummy underage teen girls are. Frankly, I think there are a lot of guys who would seek under-18 girls if it were legal. Plenty go for 16- and 17-year-old girls, risking that gray area, as it is.

Free speach is fine until it hurts someone else or causes harm.

I think you're taking my last post and running away with just one thought or two. Read the post previous to that.

Bunny, the women pedophiles are beginning to come out of the woodwork now. They've always been there but they're getting bolder.

Free speech is a right. You don't have the right to slander someone; but if something is true, you have the right to say it. If someone does something wrong, it is his/her fault if s/he gets in trouble because someone tells someone else what s/he did.

If you use free speech to slander someone, there are laws against that, and the victim can sue.

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Maven said:
How can you restrict what people say on a huge site like MySpace, Rhapsody? Like I said, they can't monitor every person and every post. .

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YES.... there is a way to monitor on line usage and the content of it - it is called a web filter and it can trace and delete any thing that registers as hate, anger or inappropriate material.... many forums and website uses this great technology today and they clean up or keep their website clean with it.... (and) so can MySpace, if they choose to do so.... but they do not - they wish to remain a FREE HOST (open to all and any kind of smut / hate / language that can and will destroy people).

>>>>>>> >>>>>>> PeAcE.


LoVe,
Rhapsody -

Septy, oh vomit. I know they are out there, but on the Dateline Show they specifically said they only had 1 woman online. That women pick kids they know, don't go for the annonymous on line thing........ oh vomit on them ALL......!!!
Does this jibe with yer info?