CUOMO’S E-STOP LAW REMOVES ADDITIONAL SEXUAL PREDATORS FROM SOCIAL NETWORKING WEB SITES; CALLS ON 14 YOUTH-ORIENTED SITES TO SCREEN USERS

CUOMO'S E-STOP LAW REMOVES ADDITIONAL SEXUAL PREDATORS FROM SOCIAL NETWORKINGWEB SITES; CALLS ON 14 YOUTH-ORIENTED SITES TO SCREEN USERS
www.ag.ny.gov
2/2/10
Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the Electronic Securing and Targetingof Online Predators Act (e-STOP) law he authored has now resulted in the removal of accountsassociated with at least 4,336 registered sex offenders from major social networking Web sitesoperating in the United States. Additionally, Cuomo is sending letters to 14 Web sites thatprimarily cater to children, urging them to provide further protections against the threat ofsexual predators online by screening their member lists using e-STOP data.  At the end of2009, Attorney General Cuomo announced that Facebook and MySpace removed 5,385 accounts linked to3,533 sexual predators from their rolls. Cuomo today announced that an additional 6,336 onlineProfiles linked to approximately 803 additional New York State Registered sex offenders have beenremoved from popular social networking sites. Attorney General Cuomo’s e-STOP measure has nowresulted in the removal of 11,721 profiles associated with 4,336 dangerous sexual predatorsregistered in New York.  In December, Cuomo announced that Facebook and MySpace removedaccounts associated with a combined total of 3,533 registered New York state sex offenders fromtheir sites. Shortly thereafter, 13 additional social networking sites, including those owned byGoogle, Yahoo! and AOL, agreed to use e-STOP to purge sex offenders. Cuomo also called onFriendster, Buzznet and eSpin to commit to using the list. These social
networking Web sites have successfully removed hundreds of accounts tied to registered sexoffenders with Cuomo’s law:
MyLife/formerly Reunion.com - 2,001 offenders (2,100 accounts)
Tagged - 854 offenders (950 accounts)
hi5 - 169 offenders (575 accounts)
BlackPlanet - 114 offenders (570 accounts)
Bebo/AOL -253 offenders (542 accounts)
Flixster - 441 offenders (508 accounts)
Flickr/Yahoo -343 offenders (448 accounts)
Friendster - 255 offenders (271 accounts)
eSpin - 103 offenders (120 accounts)
Orkut/Google - 62 offenders (113 accounts)
Stickam - 102 offenders (109 accounts)
Buzznet - 13 offenders (18 accounts)
Fotolog - 10 offenders (12 accounts)
Along with Facebook and MySpace the two largest social networking Web sites, this sweepconstitutes the overwhelming majority of these types of sites operating in the United States. Additionally, Attorney General Cuomo calls on popular Web sites that cater to children to screentheir users. Although these sites have some safeguards in place, the Attorney General believes theyshould add to those measures by screening their rolls using e-STOP information. These sitesinclude:
AllyKatzz
BarbieGirls
Build-a-Bearville
Club Penguin
Girlsense
Neopets
Secretbuilders
Stardoll
Supersecret
Teen Second Life
Toontown
Tootsville
Webkinz
Whyville
e-STOP was passed unanimously by the New York State Assembly and Senate and went into law in2008. Authored by Attorney General Cuomo, it is the first law of its kind requiring convicted sexoffenders to register their e-mail addresses and other online identifiers with the state Divisionof Criminal Justice Services’ (DCJS) New York State Sex Offender Registry. That informationis then made available to social networking sites.
In total, the law: Requires that sex offenders register all of their Internet accounts andidentifiers (e-mail addresses and designations used for chat, instant messaging, social networking,or other similar Internet communication) with DCJS.  Authorizes DCJS to release state sexoffender Internet identifiers to social networking sites and certain other online services toprescreen or remove sex offenders from using the site’s services and notify law enforcementauthorities and other government officials of potential violations of law and threats to publicsafety.  Requires, as a condition of probation or parole, mandatory restrictions on a sexoffender’s access to the Internet where the offender’s victim was a minor, the Internetwas used to commit the offense, or the offender was designated a level 3 (highest level) offender.Such offenders would be banned from accessing social networking Web sites,accessing pornographicmaterials, communicating with anyone for the purpose of promoting sexual relations with a minor,and communicating, in most circumstances, with anyone under the age of 18.
According to DCJS, as of February 1, 2010, there are 29,976 registered sex offenders on filein New York (11,197 level 1 offenders, 10,686 level 2 offenders, 7,490 level 3 offenders, and 603pending). 8,606 of
these offenders have reported either a screen name or email address. In the U.S., there areapproximately 627,000 registered sex offenders.  Laura Ahearn, Executive Director for Parentsfor Megan’s Law, said, “Attorney General Cuomo deserves plaudits creating a measurethat has
effectively applied many important aspects of Megan’s Law to the Internet. We join himin calling on all remaining sites, especially those that cater to kids, to adopt e-STOP. We mustcontinue to make
sure the law is on the side of children and families as predators seek new ways to causeharm.
Registered New York state sex offenders purged from Facebook, Myspace and the 13 additionalsocial networking Web sites announced today, to date, by county:
ALBANY - 74
ALLEGANY - 31
BRONX - 170
BROOME - 110
CATTARAUGUS - 33
CAYUGA - 41
CHAUTAUQUA - 61
CHEMUNG - 45
CHENANGO - 26
CLINTON - 42
COLUMBIA - 13
CORTLAND - 32
DELAWARE - 9
DUTCHESS - 70
ERIE - 160
ESSEX - 19
FRANKLIN - 26
FULTON - 34
GENESEE - 23
GREENE - 18
HAMILTON - 1
HERKIMER - 38
JEFFERSON - 71
KINGS - 225
LEWIS - 10
LIVINGSTON - 39
MADISON - 30
MONROE - 192
MONTGOMERY - 37
NASSAU - 119
NEW YORK - 139
NIAGARA - 75
ONEIDA - 105
ONONDAGA - 155
ONTARIO - 37
ORANGE - 69
ORLEANS - 20
OSWEGO - 57
OTSEGO - 16
PUTNAM - 16
QUEENS - 208
RENSSELAER - 57
RICHMOND - 46
ROCKLAND - 32
SAINT LAWRENCE - 68
SARATOGA - 71
SCHENECTADY - 57
SCHOHARIE - 6
SCHUYLER - 12
SENECA - 22
STEUBEN - 70
SUFFOLK - 190
SULLIVAN - 25
TIOGA - 28
TOMPKINS - 27
ULSTER - 59
WARREN - 45
WASHINGTON - 39
WAYNE - 47
WESTCHESTER - 89
WYOMING - 21
YATES - 15
Out of state or invalid zip code - 614
(New York)