3,500 NY sex offenders kicked off Facebook, MySpace
NEW YORK -- A new state law targeting sex offenders online has helped purge more than 3,500 registered New York state sex offenders from social networking sites Facebook and MySpace, state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday.
The law, Electronic Securing and Targeting of Online Predators Act (e-STOP), was introduced by Cuomo and went into effect last year. It is aimed at preventing convicted offenders from preying on potential victims on the Internet while on probation or parole.
Under e-STOP, Facebook and MySpace identify accounts linked to e-mail addresses in the sex offender registry, and disable those accounts.
The sites were able to identify and disable accounts linked to 3,533 registered sex offenders in the state, Cuomo said. New York state has more than 8,100 sex offenders who have registered e-mails with the state, according to Cuomo, meaning 43 percent of those offenders have identified accounts linked to Facebook and/or MySpace.
Cuomo called on other social networking sites to quickly adopt similar measures to bolster protections against sexual predators online, and sent letters Tuesday "urging them to take action," he said.
From AG Cuomo's office:
Registered New York State sex offenders purged from Facebook and MySpace under e-STOP, by county:
· ALBANY - 62
· ALLEGANY - 22
· BRONX - 143
· BROOME - 86
· CATTARAUGUS - 25
· CAYUGA - 36
· CHAUTAUQUA - 54
· CHEMUNG - 41
· CHENANGO - 17
· CLINTON - 36
· COLUMBIA - 12
· CORTLAND - 27
· DELAWARE - 6
· DUTCHESS - 67
· ERIE - 129
· ESSEX - 16
· FRANKLIN - 24
· FULTON - 27
· GENESEE - 18
· GREENE - 16
· HAMILTON - 1
· HERKIMER - 34
· JEFFERSON - 58
· KINGS - 177
· LEWIS - 6
· LIVINGSTON - 38
· MADISON - 24
· MONROE - 159
· MONTGOMERY - 33
· NASSAU - 101
· NEW YORK - 118
· NIAGARA - 67
· ONEIDA - 83
· ONONDAGA - 121
· ONTARIO - 31
· ORANGE - 54
· ORLEANS - 19
· OSWEGO - 42
· OTSEGO - 11
· PUTNAM - 15
· QUEENS - 186
· RENSSELAER - 53
· RICHMOND - 35
· ROCKLAND - 29
· SAINT LAWRENCE - 57
· SARATOGA - 59
· SCHENECTADY - 32
· SCHOHARIE - 6
· SCHUYLER - 10
· SENECA - 21
· STEUBEN - 65
· SUFFOLK - 143
· SULLIVAN - 25
· TIOGA - 21
· TOMPKINS - 18
· ULSTER - 51
· WARREN - 39
· WASHINGTON - 32
· WAYNE - 38
· WESTCHESTER - 84
· WYOMING - 16
· YATES - 13
· Out of state or invalid zip code - 444
