MySpace announces security software for parents (LSU)
By Rachael Moreau
The Daily Reveille (LSU)
01/23/2007

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Home to singles, couples, impressionable minors, college students, sexual predators and a myriad of other people, MySpace.com recently released new software that will let parents monitor their children's accounts.

Some students said they think MySpace, which has been the target of several sexual assault suits and criticism for lack of parental oversight, should not be held legally responsible for sexual assault. Others are concerned about privacy issues surrounding the Web site's new security measures.

A local high school teacher, Ray Clement III, was arrested last week and accused of committing crimes of a sexual nature with several female minors he met through MySpace.

MySpace was recently named in four different lawsuits by families who claim the Web site provided a venue for people who allegedly abused their underage daughters.

Clement, who is 23 and a teacher at Redemptorist Senior High School, allegedly met his victims through MySpace. Clement then allegedly used MySpace messages to arrange meetings with his victims.

Jaclyn Dagro, business sophomore, has a MySpace account and said she was approached through the message system by a stranger "who was hitting on [her]." She said MySpace should be held responsible.

"I got weirded out," she said.

But many students disagree.

"Minors can get sexually assaulted anywhere. They were sexually assaulted before MySpace even came into being," said Jermaine Butler, international studies freshman and former Redemptorist student.

Derek Richard, accounting freshman, said MySpace account holders need to be more responsible for themselves.

"They need to realize that not just their friends can look at their profiles," he said.

Adam Barksdale, construction management senior, agrees.

"It's hard for a minor to know how the real world works. Parents have to have some sort of control," he said.

According to CNN, MySpace announced last week they would make a new software named Zephyr available to parents to allow them to view the location, profile name and age their children post to the Web site. Richard thinks the new software is another way for parents to read the proverbial diaries of their children.

Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut attorney general, said in a press release the "software is a short-sighted and ineffective response to a towering danger to kids."

Blumenthal is also considering "possible legal action" if MySpace.com does not increase its security to include age verification of users. But Thomas Bruce, kinesiology sophomore, said he thinks the new software will work.

"They should put more restrictions on what you actually put on the Web site," he said.

According to USA Today, there is no conclusive evidence the new security will cause people to leave MySpace for other less-restrictive social networking sites.

"There is already a movement away from MySpace," Richard said. "People are leaning toward Facebook."

Other students agree. "Facebook already has much better security measures," said Shelby Gamble, English sophomore.

Richard also said he thinks Facebook would not implement a software program like Zephyr.

"They realize how big of an infringement on privacy that would be," he said.