A Facebook site created in Canada is calling for the banning of sex offenders on social networking sites and it has now reached 5 million members worldwide.

On the site’s discussion posts, several people talk of the horror of logging in and seeing a “friend suggestion” – generated by Facebook – of their abuser.

The site is calling for:

  • sex offenders to disclose their internet use
  • sex offenders to disclose their email addresses
  • sex offenders to state their internet service providers, and
  • sex offenders to disclose their online identities

It would still not be illegal for sex offenders to have a Facebook account, however in the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities put out by Facebook they clearly state:

4.  Registration and Account Security
Facebook users provide their real names and information, and we need your help to keep it that way. Here are some commitments you make to us relating to registering and maintaining the security of your account:
•You will not provide any false personal information on Facebook, or create an account for anyone other than yourself without permission.
•You will not create more than one personal profile.
•You will not use Facebook if you are a convicted sex offender.
 
In 2010 Facebook worked with Britain’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) to introduce a panic button, aimed at protecting young people in the UK from sex predators.

It gives young people direct access to the CEOP website and help if they feel uncomfortable about any online interaction.

Teenagers can add or bookmark the ClickCEOP button so that it appears on their homepage, giving them access to online safety help as well as giving them a way to report inappropriate sexual behaviour and suspected grooming of users for sex.

The application is supported by a new CEOP web page that looks at topics teenagers care about, such as celebrities, music and exams and will link these subjects to questions about online safety.

“We know from speaking to offenders that a visible deterrent could protect young people online. We urge all Facebook users to add the app and bookmark it so that others can see that they’re in control online,” Jim Gamble, CEOP chief executive, said.

“Together we have developed a new way of helping young people stay safe online and backed this with an awareness campaign to publicise it to young users,” Ms Shields, Facebook’s vice-president for EMEA said.

Writer Helen Splarn. Editor Dr Ramesh Manocha.
Source: AP. Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP)