MySpace to share sex offender details

MySpace, the popular social networking site, has agreed to hand over details of known convicted sex offenders that have signed up to its service, after increasing pressure to better protect under-age users.

Initially, the social networking site refused to share the data with attorneys general from several states, citing federal privacy laws.

This week, the law enforcement officials updated the letter to the site to demand the information with legal subpoenas and MySpace has agreed to comply.

MySpace officials said that it had always planned to share the data with the law enforcement authorities, stating that it had already deleted the offending profiles. However, in order to comply with the subpoenas, the site didn't dispose of the information in those profiles.

The information passed onto the authorities will include the names, email addresses and IP addresses of people that created the 7,000 profiles linked to convicted sex criminals.

The authorities plan to use the data to look for parole violations by offenders who have been banned from using computers or contacting children.

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