Article+of+dangers

==[|New study on Internet predator arrests]==

Wed Jan 28, 2009 1:39 pm (PST)
Hi all,

I have just released the following news release. I did an analysis of the arrest data from the Pennsylvania AG's arrest data because of the response of the AGs to the Berkman Task Force report. The analysis of the arrest data fully supports the research reported in this report.

Wish me luck. I am standing up to the 50 state attorneys general who want to force social networking sites to use age and identity verification to prevent minors from communicating with adults - which would allow for massive market and voter profiling of clearly identified individuals.

New study of Pennsylvania Internet predator arrests shows young people face greater risks in chatrooms than on social networking sites - and significantly greater risks from family and acquaintance sex abusers.

EUGENE, Oregon/January 28, 2009. On January 14, 2008, the Berkman Internet Safety Technical Task Force issued its report, Enhancing Child Safety and Online Technologies. The Task Force was created in February 2008 as a result of pressure by 49 state attorneys generals on the social network sites to implement age verification technologies purportedly to protect minors from sexual predators. The Task Force report has been criticized by some of the state Attorneys General for minimizing the threat of predators on social networking sites and for failure to endorse the effectiveness of the verification technologies.

A new report issued by the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use looks at the extent of the predation threat in a state that has made information about Internet-related predation arrests publicly available. The analysis looks at a set of data derived from press releases on Pennsylvania Attorney General Corbett's Web site about arrests of online sexual predators made by his office's Child Predator Unit 2005 through the present.

Willard states, ³My intention in publishing this analysis is to demonstrate that the data derived from attorney general arrest reports is consistent with the findings of the Berkman Report. It is essential that we form an effective working partnership between law enforcement, Internet safety professionals, researchers, risk prevention experts, and industry to address the very real challenges faced by ³at risk² young people online. We cannot do so if the Attorneys General demonstrate disrespect for the research and recommendations that have been presented to them by professionals in the field of youth risk online.

The analysis of the Pennsylvania arrest data reveals:

Of 183 incidents arrests, only 8 involved actual teen victims. Only 5 of the incidents had resulted in sexual contact. One of these cases involved communications through MySpace.

The vast majority of the reported arrests were the result of sting operations that occurred in chat rooms or through instant messaging. In only a handful cases did the predator, who initiated the communications in a chat room, look at the fake victim¹s MySpace profile.

Although it appears the Pennsylvania Attorney General¹s office has had unprotected fake teen profiles on MySpace since November 2006, there have been no arrests for predation stings initiated on MySpace.

The descriptions of these chats incidents bear out what the research reviewed by the Berkman Research Advisory Board found. The predators were always very open about their sexual interest and few were deceptive about their age. They often sent the underground agent images of their private parts and always discussed the sexual activities they would like to engage in.

To put these findings in context, the Pennsylvania' s Coalition Against Rape issued a release on April 9, 2008, showing that in fiscal year 06-07 the Coalition¹s crisis centers had served 9,934 child victims of sexual abuse.

Willard states: ³It is essential that we develop prevention and intervention strategies that are grounded in research insight, including arrest data, and that incorporate effective risk prevention approaches to address the actual risks that young people face online. The high quality research presented by the Berkman Task Force should not be dismissed as outdated and inadequate simply because it clearly demonstrates that the technology quick-fix approach being demanded by some of this nation¹s state attorneys general will be totally ineffective in protecting youth.

About Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use

The Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use provides resources for educators and risk prevention experts on issues of youth risk online. Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D. is author of this analysis and director of the Center. She is author of two books addressing Internet safety: Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress (Research Press) and Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Learn to Use the Internet Safely and Responsibly (Jossey-Bass). She has worked in the field of youth risk online for over 14 years, with prior professional background working with at risk youth and computer law. She did not serve on the Berkman Task Force, but contributed information to the group. The report is available at [|http://csriu. org.] Press Contact: 541-556-1145. -- Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D. Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use [|http://csriu. org] [|http://cyberbully. org] [|http://cyber- safe-kids. com] [|http://csriu. wordpress. com] nwillard@csriu. org

Cyberbullying and Cyberthreats: Responding to the Challenge of Online Social Aggression, Threats, and Distress (Research Press)

Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens: Helping Young People Learn to Use the Internet Safely and Responsibly (Jossey-Bass)