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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2006

Senator Browne's Bill to Crackdown on Sex Offenders

Legislation would require registration of e-mail addresses, IM screen names

Recognizing that many sex offenders target victims through electronic communications, Senator Pat Browne is drafting a bill that would require those individuals to register their e-mail addresses and IM screen names with the state.

"Under Pennsylvania's Megan's Law, convicted sex offenders are already required to register their physical and mailing addresses with the state," Senator Browne said. "My proposal builds on that. It's a proven fact that many sex offenders use chat rooms and other forms of electronic communication as a way to seek out and identify potential victims.  In light of current technology, it is just as important that sex offenders be required to register their e-mail addresses and IM screen names."

Senator Browne said that the registration requirement would enable Pennsylvania to work with MySpace and other online sites to more easily block access to convicted sex offenders. MySpace recently announced that it plans to develop technologies to help block convicted sex offenders by checking profiles against government registries.

MySpace will soon use a database containing names and physical descriptions of convicted sex offenders in the United States. An automated system will search for matches between the database and MySpace user profiles. Employees will then delete any profiles that match.

"Similar legislation has been proposed on the federal level for those who are on probation or parole. Virginia is considering a tougher bill that is not limited to those on probation or parole," Senator Browne said. "My legislation mirrors the Virginia proposal."

 
Contact:

Matt Moyer
(610) 821-8468