14 DAY TRIAL // This is momentarily not confirmed, but a familiar source with the agreement between News Corp's MySpace and 45 US states said that, according to it, the social network would include several online protections and also participate in a working group to develop age-verification and other technologies.
Some of the things mentioned are not going to make the users of MySpace happy, such as its accepting of independent monitoring, as well as changing the structure of the site. The changes are not something to be feared, but the knowing that somebody might follow your every move and record it perhaps isn't the most comfortable feeling that one might experience, even if he or she is not necessarily doing something bad.
This agreement is said to be announced later today, in Manhattan, by attorneys general from New Jersey, North Carolina, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York. This is the move that the respective attorneys have been waiting for a long time, the rate of sexual predators that have used social networks is currently growing and it looks that, except for this, there's nothing to stop it from doing that.
Children have long been targets for these people, because of the lack of experience they have on the Internet and because they are the most likely to not pay attention to who they add in their friend list, or are most excited to talk to strangers and get to know new people.
No immediate comment was available from MySpace because of the fact that the announcement has not yet been made and that is also why the source cited by Michael Gormley, of the Associated Press, has chosen to speak under the cover of anonymity. In case you were worried about these threats at your kids, rest assured, it is being taken care of. Slowly, it's true, but fortunately, surely.