There are few things worse than a 24-year-old man seeking sex from a 13-year-old girl, or so it would seem. They should lock him up and throw away the key, or so it would seem. But sometimes, things aren’t what they seem. Full Op-Ed Piece
Read MoreTag: Internet
WA: Benton County judge bars county from providing sex offender data
KENNEWICK — A Benton County judge’s signature Friday on four separate orders cleared the way for Donna Zink to appeal in her pursuit to get information on low-level sex offenders. Superior Court Judge Bruce Spanner has barred the county from fulfilling the Mesa woman’s request for the names of more than 400 Level 1 sex offenders, their registration forms and letters sent to them after Zink first filed for the public records last year. Spanner ruled in January that the personal information is confidential and could cause irreparable harm to…
Read MoreEurope’s top court backs ‘right to be forgotten’ in Google case
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Internet companies can be made to remove irrelevant or excessive personal information from search engine results, Europe’s top court ruled on Tuesday in a case pitting privacy campaigners against Google. Full Article
Read MoreFinding sex offenders via Facebook app
A new Facebook app helps you find out who your “friends” really are. It scans your list of “friends” and notifies you if any of them are on the national sex offender register. In a world where more friends and more views helps you get your name out there, there’s always the potential for danger. Full Article Related: This app told me my uncle, roommate, and partner are potential sex offenders
Read MoreCourt hammers operator of Internet intimidation sites
A Valley man accused of running an Internet extortion racket was dealt a blow last month when a judge found he posted information on websites suggesting a decorated combat veteran with no criminal record was a child molester. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper imposed several sanctions against Charles “Chuck” Rodrick, saying evidence showed he controlled websites where operators demanded money from sex offenders and harassed those who complained. Full Internet
Read MoreAre police catching pedophiles, or creating straw men?
Then they claim to be 14. Even if the man balks or expresses qualms at this unexpected news, the cops continue to push. They press on with more enticements — photos — making it clear how ready and willing the fictional 14-year-old is. Some try not to take no for an answer. Full Article
Read MoreState Senate Passes Bill to Prohibit Internet Extortion
The California Senate has voted unanimously to approve a bill (SB 1027) that would prohibit the commercial use of booking photos. The bill would also provide individuals with the ability to sue anyone who publishes or otherwise disseminates booking photos and then requires payment of a fee or other consideration to remove, correct or modify that photo. Those who violate the law are subject to “an amount equal to the greater of $1,000 per violation or the actual damages suffered”, along with costs, attorney’s fees and any other legal or equitable relief.…
Read MoreSex offender data threatening home values, tarnishing neighborhoods and frustrating real estate agents
Allan Van Inwegen said he received some unsettling news almost immediately after moving into a home with his wife and two children about 14 years ago. His neighbors told him they were living in a property right next door to a sex offender, “who happened to be 17 with a green mohawk,” said Inwegen, a broker in Denver. But after some digging, he discovered that the offender wasn’t exactly a menace. The 17-year-old had had sex with his 15-year-old girlfriend, and the girl’s father, a preacher, had caught them and…
Read MoreWA: Yakima County judge blocks release of sex offender information
YAKIMA, Wash. — A Yakima County judge has blocked the release of names and addresses of low-level sex offenders to a Mesa woman who wants to post the information on a website. Ruling Friday, Superior Court Judge Blaine Gibson permanently blocked Donna Zink’s request for low-level sex-offender registration forms from the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office. The move had been sought by 22 low-level offenders who said releasing the information would subject them to public scorn and threaten their safety. The ruling covered all low-level offenders who comply with state law,…
Read MoreDo sex offender registries, like new ‘OffenderWatch,’ make us safer? (Op-Ed)
Today the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office announced it was launching “OffenderWatch,” a brand-new way to be scared of your neighbors. … I have a few questions: Why? And what, exactly, are you to do with this information? Do you commit these names and faces to memory? What are you supposed to do when you meet one of these guys on the street? Do you instruct your kids to stay away from these homes? Are we supposed to keep an eye on them in some way? Should we organize patrols…
Read MoreWA: Yakima County judge to hear arguments on request for sex-offender data
YAKIMA, Wash. — A Yakima County Superior Court judge will hear arguments today on whether to give a Mesa woman names and addresses of all low-level sex offenders in the county. Judge Blaine Gibson will also hear a request from attorney Greg Scott to certify his suit to block the release of the names as a class action on behalf of all 688 Level 1 sex offenders in Yakima County. Level 1 sex offenders are considered least likely to offend again, and their names are typically not posted by authorities.…
Read MoreLET’S TALK ABOUT SEX (OFFENDERS)
First, let’s put some things on the table. There is wide consensus that sexual assault is under reported. There is some disagreement about just how under reported sexual assault among adults is (and some controversy about how it is defined and measured), but there are good estimates that only about a tenth of sexual abuse against children is ever reported. Abuse against children is especially heinous because of the lifelong harm it can inflict on the survivors and the subsequent costs it imposes on society. Now, let’s talk about one hugely counterproductive way to deal…
Read MoreSB 1027 (Hill) – Criminal record information: commercial use
Existing law requires a business to take reasonable steps to protect unintended disclosure of customer information and limits theway personal information on customers can be used and disseminated. This bill would prohibit a person who publishes criminal record information, as defined, via print or electronic means from soliciting or accepting a fee or other consideration to remove, correct, or modify that information, as specified. The bill would establish civil penalties for violations of these provisions. Bill Information
Read MoreAZ: Court hammers operator of Internet intimidation sites
A Valley man accused of running an Internet extortion racket was dealt a blow last month when a judge found he posted information on websites suggesting a decorated combat veteran with no criminal record was a child molester. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Katherine Cooper imposed several sanctions against Charles “Chuck” Rodrick, saying evidence showed he controlled websites where operators demanded money from sex offenders and harassed those who complained. Full Article
Read MoreCounty Launches New Sex Offender Registration, Tracking Site Available to Public
San Mateo County will now be part of a nationwide network of over 5,000 law enforcement agencies, including over 45 California agencies. Full Article
Read MoreMA: Court Says Sex Offender Law Not Retroactive
BOSTON (AP) — The state’s highest court has ruled that Massachusetts cannot retroactively post information about thousands of registered sex offenders on the Internet. Full Article Related: July 2013 Ruling / Preliminary InjunctionAppellant’s Brief SJC ruling keeps 6,000 Level 2 sex offenders off state web registry
Read MoreAUS: We don’t want consensual sex teens listed:MP
ROCKHAMPTON MP Bill Byrne said at this stage a public register was only theoretical, and he would reserve his judgment until he had the opportunity to review all information. “I have seen commentary that’s been put out by the LNP cabinet ministers and they seem to be equally divided, as I imagine the rest of the community would be, about such a matter,” he said. Full Article
Read MoreIreland: Irish MP Patrick Nulty quits over ‘inappropriate’ Facebook messages
An Irish parliamentarian has resigned after admitting he sent inappropriate messages to a teenage girl on Facebook. Independent MP Patrick Nulty said he had been “under the influence of alcohol” when he sent messages to a 17-year-old. His shock resignation came hours before Irish tabloid the Sunday World was due to print the story. Full Article
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