Serial sex offender Andrew Lubrano’s MySpace profile
Five months ago, Wired News senior editor and former hacker Kevin Poulsen whipped up 1,000 lines of computer code that scoured MySpace’s 1 million plus profiles for 385,932 registered sex offenders in 46 states.
The code turned up many false or unverifiable matches. Poulsen worked part-time for sevral months sifting the data and manually comparing photographs, ages and other data. In all, he was able to confirm 744 sex offenders with MySpace profiles. Of those, 497 are registered for sex crimes against children. Of these, six are listed as repeat offenders.
MySpace told Poulsen that it would like to ban sex offenders from the site but is waiting for new laws that would make it easier for them to do so. The company is lobbying Congress for legislation that would require sex offenders to register their e-mail addresses with a central database.
Wired News will publish the code Poulsen used under an open-source license later this week.
I’m one of those geeks who still uses the word “hacker” — whether creative or destructive — regardless of what folks do with their abilities. It describes a skill set which has no intrinsic value judgement.
Kevin did a praiseworthy job. His detailed article at Wired is here.
Sounds like MySpace already has it’s share of lawyers — when they’re reluctant to ban sex offenders from a “social networking” site.
Well, you wanna be carefull how you ban anyone from a social gathering. Next thing you know, you got lots of people all wearing the same uniforms.
I wonder if any of the identified MySpace sex offenders are or recently were Members of Congress.
Gotta say, if that’s Andrew Lubrano’s pic and he’s posted it on MySpace, he doesn’t seem to be hiding who he is. Is there a reason to think he’s committing or planning to commit a crime with his MySpace profile?
That’s a genuine question, BTW – I don’t “do” MySpace and am not sure how it works, or why Lubrano’s presence there spells Trouble in River City.
Be that as it may, MySpace could ban whomever it wanted for any reason it wanted. Why does it need legislation? What a bunch of jerks.
what would be the point of these sex offenders registering their e-mail address when they are so disposable in the first place? You can’t really identify anyone from an e-mail address. Plus you can get hundreds of free ones anyway.
This is simple make it part of their parole or probation that they can’t use sites such as Myspace. Then when they get caught doing so something stronger than a ban can take place.
I don’t use Myspace but are real names required? I seem to think I’ve seen names like Happyduck and BIGguy32 the few times I’ve looked at the site.
744/1,000,000=.00074
385,932/300,000,000=.00128644
Myspace is safer than the population in general.
This is just going to lead to new laws and legislation banning sex offenders from possessing any electronic communication device. If you ask me, there is no way to keep a sexual predator from finding a victim as long as they live and breathe.
Of course, part of the problem is that you can become a sex offender by doing laundry in your beiefs at a laundromat or simply parking in the wrong place and talking to passers-by these days.
It has become like the idiotic school rules against drugs, weapons, speach, etc.
In the future, everything that is not prohibited will be manditory. Some things of course, will be both.
DAve
How does one know those are the real people posting themselves? You could pretend to be anyone.
#7 Gig..good point.
#8 – This is just going to lead to new laws and legislation banning sex offenders from possessing any electronic communication device. If you ask me, there is no way to keep a sexual predator from finding a victim as long as they live and breathe.
I surely don’t intend to insult you, but there is a reason that we don’t ask you. Or me. Or anyone else. I know in this modern American life, everyone who has watched a few episodes of 20/20 is under the impression that they have gained expertise through osmosis and it just ain’t true.
Though the extent of the “problem” is far less than reported, it should be trained mental health experts, doctors, as well as law enforcement officials with experience in this area, who advise policy. What I fear is a reaction based on irrational fear that results in stupid laws that affect me, and most likely, not actual sexual predators.
Who really cares? I mean how much harm can they do while sitting behind their computers? None. Of course, that changes if they try to hook up offline — but I still say that kids and adults that agree to meet in person those that they have met online are dumb… dumb dumb dumb.
And don’t tell me these teenagers don’t know any different. If they are old enough to be online and agreeing to meetings, then they are old enough to know they might get hurt. Once again — dumb dumb dumb. And so are their parents!
And if you are an adult, and you agree to a meeting where you might put yourself in danger and you get hurt — you pretty much get what you deserve.
You know John….I hope this pic is really the guy it’s supposed to be…..other wise you may need a new show called….***Cranky loser in a lible suit***….lol
#12, …Though the extent of the “problem” is far less than reported, it should be trained mental health experts, doctors, as well as law enforcement officials with experience in this area, who advise policy. …
I strongly agree with this except for the law enforcement officials taking part. They are the last “experts” one would want to formulate policy. For the same reasons they don’t put victims on juries, you don’t let the cops write the laws.
I also believe the whole “sex offender” status should be revisited. True sexual offenders should be listed, not every one that had something to do with a crime listed. There should also be a method to get off of the registry after so long. Saddling someone for their entire life for a youthful prank where no one was hurt is not a very intelligent idea.
Wow what a dirt bag.
Pancake 26, LOL More like big fat old dirt bag pervert that ate too many pancakes.
Its just as easy for a pervert to interact with a child in a supermarket as it is online. This is true for adults as well. We don’t always know who the person is that we interact with. Preventing children from interacting with people because thier different is very bad. It just teaches hate and prejudice. Some of the worst people could be dressed in a suites and ties.
If over 50% of marriges end in divorse then it shows that adults arent always the best judge of character.
For one,
Children social networks should be separate from adult Social networks. However,
The ultimate responsibility should fall on the parents. They should monitor their childrens activities.
what I wonder about is the measures to which we go to mark sex offenders… why not bring back the scarlet letter, or better yet, brand them… that way everyone will know, and kids will know to avoid the old man with the big A on his forehead.
#15 –
Yea… Okay… But you know, elected officials, usually lawyers, or nepotistic white scumbags who used to beat up the AV club kids in the locker room of gym class, or on rare occassion someone with an actual zeal to serve his or her constituency (you know, the more liberal of the batch), actually write the laws. I’m not talking about beat cops, and as I come from a family of cops I know about the cop-o-vision that renders these guys biased, but as you climb the chain you find smarter and smarter guys (and a few goons) who have valid testimony and opinions to offer legislators.
Point is, cops are affected by these laws and we entrust them the carry out the law. We shouldn’t be afraid to hear their opinions when we write the law.
#17
That is what the religious right would have us do. Fortunately we aren’t a theocracy yet.