[wallinbl]

I'm surprised this hasn't been posted in here (or if it has, my searches are failing). If you haven't seen it: http://www.statesman.com/news/conten...20myspace.html. Basically, a 14 year old was raped by a 19 year old guy that she met on MySpace. They emailed and called each other a few times, then met after school and bad things happened.

I don't really understand the issue here. Yes, the Internet can be dangerous. Yes, people can lie about their age on a website. I'm not sure why that's an issue, though. I can lie about my age in a skating rink or bowling alley or mall or park, what makes MySpace different than these?

I get the feeling that lawmakers and parents have it in for MySpace and so MySpace is going to face some punishment, be it a lawsuit award, or some new laws. Talk to a few parents of teens, and it won't be long before you hear someone act like it's the devil.


I realize this discussion can head downhill fast (as has already happened on Slashdot and Arstechnica). Let's see if we can't keep this near the topic of connecting legal liability to the facilitation of communications of two people, or of the inaccuracy of age information.

[Landos Mustache]

My sister was assaulted by some dipshit she met from there so I have nothing but resentment for that site either.

Hell I hated it BEFORE it happened.

[Dork.]

The real issue is whether it should be myspace.com's job to audit what people put on their site for accuracy. After all, a teenager could answer a Personals ad in the local alternative newspaper and get in the same situation. Should the newspaper be held liable if the person who placed the ad misrepresented himself?

A lot of the problem is that the parents of current teenagers (a 16-year-old was born in 1990) didn't grow up with the Internet, and the message hasn't gotten across to their kids that just because someone says they're 16 online doesn't mean they're really 16 in real life. In fact, most kids shoud assume the person at the other end of the chat room is lying to them. Is that really Myspace's problem? If anything, there needs to be stiffer penalties for misrepresenting yourself for the purpose of comitting a crime, whether it's on the Internet or in Real Life. If word gets out that people are paying stiff fines or going to jail for misrepresenting themselves online, that could make someone think twice about doing it.

[ort888]

I'm going to sue Craftsman because I got hit on the head by a hammer.

Myspace blows goats, but this lawsuit is stupid.

[Kerrigan]

I know this girl who hooked up with a guy off of myspace. The guy was actually married, but the girl did not know this until she was barraged by angry letters and threats from the wife (who learnt of the affair thru scanning myspace)

The scum of the earth troll that site.

[Eug Wanker]

A lot of the problem is that the parents of current teenagers (a 16-year-old was born in 1990) didn't grow up with the Internet, and the message hasn't gotten across to their kids that just because someone says they're 16 online doesn't mean they're really 16 in real life.

Even if that person were 16, he still could have assaulted her.

Anyways, I only heard about MySpace in the last few months (if you can believe it), and it really doesn't seem like a place I'd want to meet people. Despite this, and while I agree that it's very sad what happened, I don't think MySpace per se is to blame.

[Rumor]

Again, this is another way to blame someone else for not effectivly raising your child with some intelligence.

A couple of key questions that weren't addressed in the article:

Was she really assulted, or did she regret what she did afterwards?

How old was she stating she was on MySpazz?

[wallinbl]

I knew this wasn't going to work.


The purpose of the topic was to discuss the legal connection between MySpace and what happened to the girl. There has to be *something* there in order for a judge to allow it to proceed, so the attorneys must seem some kind of ground to stand on. I was really interested in discussing that, not parenting or the quality of MySpace.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally Posted by wallinbl

There has to be *something* there in order for a judge to allow it to proceed, so the attorneys must seem some kind of ground to stand on.

I think the number of frivolous lawsuits out there proves that statement wrong.

[Rumor]

This is equivalent to your son driving to a party, getting drunk and crashing on the way home and blaming the auto manufacturer because that was the mode of transportation.

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by wallinbl

I knew this wasn't going to work.


The purpose of the topic was to discuss the legal connection between MySpace and what happened to the girl. There has to be *something* there in order for a judge to allow it to proceed, so the attorneys must seem some kind of ground to stand on. I was really interested in discussing that, not parenting or the quality of MySpace.

The only legal connection I can see is whether Myspace has any responsibility to authenticate whether people who start pages on their site are who they say they are, or at the very least over a certain age threshold. As it stands now, they probably (I've never started a page there) make people answer a question as to whether they're older than a certain cut-off before letting them put a page up, but they probably don't have the resources to verify every application. If forced to do so by the courts, they may have to shut down, because the expense of doing that would eat up all their profits.

In deference to you, wallinbl, I will not offer my opinion as to whether Myspace closing down would be the best thing for the Internet since BitTorrent.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

My sister was assaulted by some dipshit she met from there so I have nothing but resentment for that site either.

Hell I hated it BEFORE it happened.

That seems like a strange reason to hate MySpace. If she'd met him at Disneyland or at school, would you hate Disneyland or schools? MySpace is just another way to meet people. It's not inherently harmful any more than any other place. People just like to pick on it because technology is an easy target. Cases of molestation related to the Internet are still a tiny minority. It's still more dangerous to have relatives than to go on MySpace.

[Kerrigan]

MySpace is inherently harmful because the site's tone and features make it more tempting for people to browse around and look for people to hook up, and the problem is that any pervert or loser with a computer can get involved.

You never hear about Facebook users being raped because of the site. And that's because the site does a good job restricting itself to college students.

Joe Baggadonuts, creepy unemployed pervert who wants a random hookup, can easily get onto Myspace, but he can't get onto Facebook.

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

MySpace is inherently harmful because the site's tone and features make it more tempting for people to browse around and look for people to hook up, and the problem is that any pervert or loser with a computer can get involved.

You never hear about Facebook users being raped because of the site. And that's because the site does a good job restricting itself to college students.

Joe Baggadonuts, creepy unemployed pervert who wants a random hookup, can easily get onto Myspace, but he can't get onto Facebook.

But doesn't everyone know that just because someone has a Myspace account up, that doesn't mean they are who they say they are? That should be right up there with "Don't Talk to Strangers" and "Don't play with guns" as Things Every Kid Should Know.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by Rumor

This is equivalent to your son driving to a party, getting drunk and crashing on the way home and blaming the auto manufacturer because that was the mode of transportation.

BING! This lawsuit is stupid.

[King Bob On The Cob]

Originally Posted by Dork.

But doesn't everyone know that just because someone has a Myspace account up, that doesn't mean they are who they say they are? That should be right up there with "Don't Talk to Strangers" and "Don't play with guns" as Things Every Kid Should Know.

They're also taught "Don't lie" but they seem to do a good job of it on MySpace (It's so stupid that they just outright lie about their ages and such)

[TheIceMan]

I think that personal responsibility goes right out the window here in the U.S. Yes the Internet can be a dangerous place. The truth is that the scums of the earth scour the soccer fields and baby stores eyeing kids and hoping for their chance. This is not to say that we should live in fear, only that parents should help their kids be more cautious/suspicious of things. I mean come on, meeting/hooking up with some dude online and hoping for true romance to blossom is naive at best and stupid/dangerous/deadly at worst.

MySpace has millions of members. There is no possible way for them to screen every account for pervs/creeps. That said, perhaps they need to be a bit tougher. I'm not sure how. Just a thought.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

MySpace is inherently harmful because the site's tone and features make it more tempting for people to browse around and look for people to hook up, and the problem is that any pervert or loser with a computer can get involved.

You never hear about Facebook users being raped because of the site. And that's because the site does a good job restricting itself to college students.

I heard about this thing "real life" life where kids can associate with adults too.

Originally Posted by Kerrigan

Joe Baggadonuts, creepy unemployed pervert who wants a random hookup, can easily get onto Myspace, but he can't get onto Facebook.

Yeah, and he can't get into my house either. What's your point? Kids shouldn't be allowed out of the house because they might meet other people?

Again, on the list of threats to kids' safety, MySpace is small potatoes. It accounts for less than 1 percent of molestation cases, if I remember correctly.

[Salty]

By your rational you shouldn't let kids under the age of 18 have any contact with any married men, especially family, because you know... that's where most molestations occur. Fact is I hate MySpace, I hate it as much as I hate hotmail... maybe worse. But the fact is, it's not done anything more wrong than Google if Google inadvertently helps someone find kiddie porn. These companies can't be expected to police huge networks like this. The fact is the mother dropped the ball here if anyone. Who on earth lets their child meet other people from the internet on their own!? If I had kids I'd have a policy that if you're interested in doing that sorta thing you have to go with several of your friends who you know from school or something. Strength in numbers etc.

[Kerrigan]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

I heard about this thing "real life" life where kids can associate with adults too.

Ya but in real life can any passer by see that you are single and looking, find out about what you desire in a mate, and send you messages to your computer at home?

It's also a lot easier for the predator to misrepresent himself behind a computer.

MySpace is small potatoes. It accounts for less than 1 percent of molestation cases, if I remember correctly.

Also if I recall correctly something like 1/5 children are sexually solicited online, and MySpace is one of the most popular sites with children (perhaps even the most popular).

[mac1896]

This is a internet nightmare waiting to happen, and it will if the lawsuit succeeds.

Can you see all the people suing websites for every conceivable reason ?

A dating website getting sued because a marriage failed (one partner was unfaithful via that particular website), a porn site getting sued because some guy got blisters on his pecker (y'all know why !), and the list goes on.....

It comes down to END USER IGNORANCE, and in most cases, PLAIN OL' STUPIDITY !

It's not that I don't have compassion for sexually/physically/mentally abused women (my current wife was in her previous marriage), it's just that in many cases, the situation could have been avoided with a little *mistrust*.

After all, what did YOUR mother tell you about strangers ?

[dreamryche]

I've met my fair share of people through the Web, and (shame) I do have a myspace account, but I think that site is **** for meeting people. Way too much scum. I only have an account there to keep tabs on people that I already know.

As much as I hate MySpace, though, this suit needs to fail. As mac1896 pointed out, if it succeeds or is settled out of court, it will inevitably lead to a deluge of ridiculous lawsuits that won't do any good for anybody.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by dreamryche

I only have an account there to keep tabs on people that I already know.

Bingo. Out of the 80 or so friends on my "list", I personally know all but 9 of them.

[MacSpeakers]

Originally Posted by ort888

I'm going to sue Craftsman because I got hit on the head by a hammer.

Myspace blows goats, but this lawsuit is stupid.

Werd.

[TailsToo]

Parents need to talk to their kids. Period, end of story. I am so tired of bad things happening, then parents that were not involved in their kids lives up to that point want to pass blame. This same thing could have happened in other non-internet related ways, but because there is a target, and a chance to get paid, the suits start flying.

[mac1896]

Originally Posted by TailsToo

Parents need to talk to their kids. Period, end of story. I am so tired of bad things happening, then parents that were not involved in their kids lives up to that point want to pass blame. This same thing could have happened in other non-internet related ways, but because there is a target, and a chance to get paid, the suits start flying.

[Rumor]

I'm going to sue the Govenator since his movies might make my unborn child violent if they are watch during term.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by TailsToo

Parents need to talk to their kids. Period, end of story. I am so tired of bad things happening, then parents that were not involved in their kids lives up to that point want to pass blame. This same thing could have happened in other non-internet related ways, but because there is a target, and a chance to get paid, the suits start flying.

QFT.

[Salty]

That said for smaller sites. I think it's one thing if myspace knew of certain instances. Like if law enforcement told MySpace that they found out a guy had a myspace and they found kiddie porn on his machine, then myspace should kill his account.
I posted on a message board once where a girl was seduced by a guy and the band who's site it was knew that this sort of stuff was happening, and they refused to do anything about it. That pissed me off. But it's one thing when it's an isolated instance and they have real knowledge about it. In this case MySpace is more like a city, only they have no real authority over what anyone does like a government does.

[maxintosh]

There is an ad here in Germany (where I am for the summer) for a campaign "Klicksafe" that urges parents to know what their children are doing on the internet. I think the ad makes the point clearly...

Here's the spot:
http://www.klicksafe.de/common/presse.php?site=spot

I want to know how on earth the mother let the 14 year old girl go out and meet someone she met of the internet without knowing. This is irresponsible parenting to an extreme. If anyone should be sued, it is the parents by the DSS.

Websites do not have the means under adopted US technology to verify information about their users. Some countries do have age IDs you have to apply for that you need to enter into websites like these, I think that makes enough sense. But until the child is of adult age, it is the parents' responsibility to know what they are doing on the internet. And once of age, it is the individuals' responsibility to use common sense and good judgment.

[Kevin]

If her parents would be paying attention to what she was doing on the net, this wouldn't have happened.

[Gossamer]

I get to use the "Moniqueism" picture in 3....2....1....

[tooki]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

That seems like a strange reason to hate MySpace. If she'd met him at Disneyland or at school, would you hate Disneyland or schools? MySpace is just another way to meet people. It's not inherently harmful any more than any other place. People just like to pick on it because technology is an easy target. Cases of molestation related to the Internet are still a tiny minority. It's still more dangerous to have relatives than to go on MySpace.

Exactly right.

Myspace is a great way to catch up with and keep track of old friends. If you go around trying to hook up with strangers, you're no smarter than someone who does that at bars, night clubs, the grocery store, or 1-800-dial-a-date.

tooki

[starman]

Originally Posted by tooki

Exactly right.

Myspace is a great way to catch up with and keep track of old friends. If you go around trying to hook up with strangers, you're no smarter than someone who does that at bars, night clubs, the grocery store, or 1-800-dial-a-date.

tooki

Wrong, tooki.

The big difference is that a 50 year old married guy can't say he's 25 and single at Disneyland.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by starman

Wrong, tooki.

The big difference is that a 50 year old married guy can't say he's 25 and single at Disneyland.

I wouldn't say he's completely wrong. Randomly hooking up with strangers is dangerous, but the anonymous quality of MySpace makes it much easier to be creepy.

[Dork.]

Originally Posted by starman

Wrong, tooki.

The big difference is that a 50 year old married guy can't say he's 25 and single at Disneyland.

A young-looking 50-year-old married guy can still leave the wedding ring in the hotel room and go to Disneyland. It's easier do do online than in real life, but it still happens in real life.

[tooki]

Originally Posted by starman

Wrong, tooki.

The big difference is that a 50 year old married guy can't say he's 25 and single at Disneyland.

No, but some 40-somethings do claim to be 30 if they look good enough to pull it off. I know a sleazeball guy who's in his 40s and passes for late 20s, and he takes wild advantage of it. People find out his real age after they've slept with him and looked in his wallet and looked at his license.

And besides, if a 50 year old showed up for a date in place of a 25 year old, wouldn't you, um, refuse to go on the date?!?


And that's entirely beside the point. This lawsuit is about a 14-year old getting raped by a 19-year old. That could easily have happened had they met offline. People have been getting raped, beaten and murdered by dates long before the Internet came along, and I highly doubt that any studies have been done to see whether the Internet has increased the incidence of this. (It could even have had the opposite effect, you know...)

tooki

[sek929]

Wait...there are perverts on the interwebs now?

When did this happen???

Stupid lawsuit indeed.