Senate Passes Schumer Bill Cracking Down On Sexual Predators Online

Press Release

Senate Passes Schumer Bill Cracking Down On Sexual Predators Online

'KIDS' Act Would Require Sex Offenders To Register Email Addresses, Screen Names On National Registry

Measure Would Allow Social Networking Sites To Filter Out Users Posing Risks To Children

Facebook, MySpace Have Endorsed Legislation

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) announced today that the U.S. Senate has unanimously approved his bill protecting children from online predators by empowering social networking websites to keep out convicted sex offenders. Schumer will now seek to reconcile the Senate-passed legislation with a separate version approved by the House of Representatives late last year.

"Parents get informed when a sex offender is moving next door, but they have no idea when one approaches a child online. This bill will keep the emerging social spaces on the Internet predator-free. It will equip sites like MySpace and Facebook with the tools to police their memberships and filter out people who pose an undue risk to kids," Schumer said.

Schumer's bill, which has been endorsed by leading networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, would require convicted sex offenders to register their email addresses and screen names with the federal sex offender registry. The Department of Justice would then make this information available to social networking sites for the purpose of comparing the database with its user profiles in order to protect children from online sexual predators. Under Schumer's bill, known as the "Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators (KIDS) Act," use of any email address or screen name other than those on file with the federal authorities would constitute a violation of probation or supervised release.

The House version, sponsored by Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), was similar to Schumer's when it was introduced. But the final version approved by the House excluded the key provision requiring registration of email addresses and other online identifiers. Schumer said he will seek to ensure this provision's inclusion in the final, reconciled version of the legislation.

The Senate-passed bill includes additional provisions criminalizing the misrepresentation of one's age for the purposes of enticing young people to engage in criminal sexual conduct, as well as knowingingly accessing child pornography on the Internet with the intent to view it. It also expands the jurisdictional predicates for the federal laws prohibiting the manufacture, sale, dissemination, or possession of child pornography.

Schumer's legislation has also been endorsed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the American Family Association, the National Association of School Resource Officers, Enough is Enough and RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network).

Source