Jun 28, 2008 5:38 pm US/Central
Ind. Law Bars Sex Offenders From Social Networking
Sexual Predators Will Not Be Able To Prey On Young Victims Online
GARY, Ind. (AP) ―
Registered sex offenders convicted of crimes involving children no longer will be allowed to use social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook under a new Indiana state law that takes effect next week, officials said Friday.
The law, which goes into effect Tuesday, is intended to keep sexual predators from preying on young people on the Internet, Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said at a news conference.
"While the Internet is an attractive tool for our kids for entertainment (and) education, it's also attractive to predators," Carter said.
"Our children are spending more time online all the time," he said, "and no matter how diligent we are as parents, it's important that we try to create a safer online environment."
Indiana is one among the first states to prohibit sex offenders convicted of crimes involving children from logging on to social networking sites, instant messaging programs or Internet chat rooms, officials said.
The new law, passed earlier this year, also requires those offenders to turn over all e-mail addresses, passwords and usernames -- from any Internet provider -- to authorities. Offenders who change or get new e-mail addresses and passwords must inform officials within 72 hours.
Officials will use the information to strengthen and/or create databases of registered sex offenders for future investigations, Carter said.
During a news conference at the Gary Jet Center Inc. in Gary, Ind., Carter also announced another new law requiring that state elected officials be removed from office once they are convicted of a felony, rather than at sentencing.
Before now, Carter said, some elected officials were convicted but continued to draw salaries and conduct business while awaiting sentencing.
"(They) were convicted but stayed on the council drawing significant salaries, administrating the public's business, making decisions, awarding contracts while they were convicted felons," Carter said.
State Sen. Frank Mrvan, who helped write the new law, said he wants to end corruption in Indiana.
--Post-Tribune
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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