MySpace Predators Flock to Facebook

Well, it probably shouldn't be any surprise. Given the long-reported threats associated with MySpace, it comes as no shock that investigators are now looking into the exploitation of Facebook by predators.

News of the growing problem comes from the New York Attorney General's office, which recently used agents posing as underage users to test how treacherous the social-networking waters really are. According to the investigators, these fake teens or tweens were repeatedly solicited by adult Facebook users looking to obtain explicit images and videos of younger fans of the site.

Most infuriating for the Attorney General's office was Facebook's stance on the issue. Either too busy keeping up with the flood of new "profiles" or simply unprepared for the problem, investigators say that "Facebook often did not respond, and at other times was slow to respond, to complaints".

Because of its flimsy stance on these concerns, Facebook now faces the might of the Attorney General office. It has issued the site's executives a subpoena based on said complaints of inappropriate solicitation, and the slack responses Facebook has presented in its defense. (Source: informationweek.com)

In a statement on the issue, Facebook spokesperson Brandee Barker appeared to take a much different approach. "We take the concerns of the office of the New York Attorney General very seriously," adding "As our service continues to grow, so does our responsibility to our users to empower them with the tools necessary to communicate efficiently and safely." (Source: adage.com)

Most of you will have heard of the similar problems facing (no pun intended) Facebook's predecessor, MySpace. Although it remains more popular than the growing Facebook, MySpace faced a torrent of bad press when state governments were forced to delete nearly thirty thousand profiles for espousing predator-like behavior.

Facebook, for what it's worth, appears determined not to let that kind of thing get out of hand. "We are committed to working closely with all the state attorneys general to maintain a trusted environment for all Facebook users and to demonstrate the efficacy of these efforts," Barker said.