State Attorneys General Trash Internet Safety Study, But Still Can't Provide Data To Counter It
from the maybe-it's-not-such-a-big-threat-after-all dept
Last month, a wide-ranging panel of experts did a big study and found out that the risks of online predators stalking kids on social networks was totally overhyped -- something that we'd seen in previous studies, though none as wide-ranging and comprehensive. These results shocked and upset the group of 49 state attorneys general who have been pushing hard to force social networks to implement a variety of mechanisms to "protect" against this threat that really isn't that big. It's not surprising that these AGs want to push this. It makes it look like they're doing something to "protect the children," at little cost to themselves. The public imagination, helped along by politicians and the press, have been falsely led to believe that these sites are crawling with child predators tricking children, but the truth is that such cases are extremely rare. That's not to play down the seriousness of the few cases where it happens, but it's hardly a major epidemic.Still, the state AGs were none too pleased with the report's results, and some of the more vocal social network haters have been trashing it for using out-dated data. Of course, these AGs haven't actually provided the up-to-date data that contradicts the report's findings. So, one well-respected online safety researcher, Nancy Willard, went out and found some recent data to look at. Adam Thierer summarizes her findings -- but the quick version is that the recent data does, in fact, support the study's original conclusion: there just isn't that much predatorial behavior happening on social networks. In fact, the report found that general chat rooms were much more risky than social networks. The key point:
The incidents of online sexual predation are rare. Far more children and teens are being sexually abused by family members and acquaintances. It is imperative that we remain focused on the issue of child sexual abuse -- regardless of how the abusive relationship is initiated.Focusing on social networks as being a problem is taking away resources from where the real threats are... all in an effort for some AGs to get some easy headlines.
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Filed Under: attorneys general, internet safety, stats
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But this is so much cheaper and easier
It's so much easier to do some pointless chest-thumping, than it is do some actual work. And let's face it, this kind of crap has worked on the American public for decades.
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We must do something!
This is something.
Therefore, we must do this!
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Liberal-Biased Science
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Re: Liberal-Biased Science
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Re: Re: Liberal-Biased Science
I guess it's like Goebbel said "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." Not too sure of the actual German translation, but you get the gist.
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Remember that 88.3% of statistics are invented on the spot to support a theory that either has no verified statistics or that can't support itself. ;)
I suspect the reason there is no data supporting the predator lurking in every chat room philosophy is that there aren't really enough predators to go around.
If the AGs want to back their programs, they need to make more sex offenders (oh, oops, they are already doing that) and see to it they are unemployed (trashing their reputation so they lose their jobs--oops again) so they have enough time to patiently deceive enough little kiddies (oh, flaw in the plan there--the drunks urinating in public and the girls taking their own pictures don't have the patience to chat with police pretending to be little kids who can't even type the whole word "you") to make the new laws look useful.
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Lets not get away from the point here...
Mike said "That's not to play down the seriousness of the few cases where it happens, but it's hardly a major epidemic." Why does it need to reach epidemic proportions before something gets done?
Who here would say that its acceptable for a handful of kids to become victims of sexual predators as long as the majority are ok? Is one abuse victim not one too many?
As I say, I agree that this is mostly a case of the AG's grandstanding for publicity and taking the easy option of attacking social networking sites without due cause. But please lets not forget that "some" kids do become victims and that that is unacceptable.
The problem as I see it, and it has been made before, is the focus should be only those guilty of the abuses. Lets spend more time/money/effort on finding and punishing those guilty of crimes and less time scare-mongering and one-up-manship.
I know a person who was groomed and abused as a child, by a stranger not a family member, and I hate the idea of anyone having to go through such an ordeal.
So, please, lets not miss the point, lets tackle the problem, the abusers, and keep our kids safe. Please.
(And before I get shouted, no, I dont work for any political office. I'm a parent of two great kids and I dont want them to get hurt. Also, I'm not in the US. The problem of abuse here in the UK is the same as it is in any other country.)
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Re: Lets not get away from the point here...
Thanks for pointing this out. Furthermore, some kids are sexually abused by their parents. Not all, but some, and that's too many. Therefore, all kids should be taken away from their parents (by your reasoning). Just as a precaution because, you know, you can never be too careful. If you have kids, we should start with yours first.
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Re: Lets not get away from the point here...
It doesn't need to reach epidemic proportions, but the response MUST be reasonable compared to the threat. What AGs are trying to do will completely stifle certain services all for what is barely a problem and *can* be dealt with through more precise means.
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The Problem
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an opposing view
Funny that MySpace just kicked off 90,000 registered sex offenders. Guess what, they missed all the perverts out there who don't use their real name but are sex offenders against children. Jump on some of the sites and see what a target rich environment it is. Of the 565,000 convicted sex offenders who are out of jail, 125,000 are non-compliant (we don't know where they are) - these are the ones that were caught and convicted. Rapists and child molesters don't rehabilitate and are in a high recidivism category. Many have multiple victims before they are caught. The Internet, when not properly supervised by parents, makes victimization so much easier than hanging out on a playground.
For those of you out there who have never worked in this field, continue to sit in your naive glass houses and pretend this stuff doesn't exist. Try throwing your negative comments at the parent whose child was the victim...like parents of over 200 kids who were victimized in New England by a soccer coach who set the fake MySpace account up. Yup he catalogued the pics and now this child porn is God only knows where out there being collected by other freaks. Or maybe the 12 year old girl I just interviewed who was molested by a guy she met online, or the kid abducted by a guy she met playing an online game (yeah he was planning on killing her but got caught first). Yes parents need to take responsibility as do the deviants, but if parents aren't made aware that there is an issue, who is going to watch out for these kids? Downplaying it does not keep the potential dangers of the Internet in the forefront of a parent's mind.
Studies mean nothing to the person who is the victim or the family of the victim, and quite frankly, I have no faith in research that "follows the money" or that fails to look at victims or predators. Go read some sex offender treatment files on some of the perps convicted using the internet and then come talk to me.
Det. Kristyn Bernier
www.cybercrimefighters.biz
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Re: an opposing view
As someone who makes their living off people's fears about this, you're upset that the panel wasn't composed of like minded people with vested interests fanning the flames. No surprise.
Of the 565,000 convicted sex offenders who are out of jail, 125,000 are non-compliant (we don't know where they are) - these are the ones that were caught and convicted. Rapists and child molesters don't rehabilitate and are in a high recidivism category.
The truth is, many of those people were of convicted of something like peeing in an alley behind a bar one night when they were drunk and now they're "sex offenders" for the rest of their lives. And sex offenders have a lower recidivism rate than people convicted of other crimes on average, not higher. But let's not let the truth get in the way here, that won't get you any promotions will it? I mean, even the Supreme Court has ruled that it's OK for police to lie, so why not?
Now if you want to start point out examples, I think I could find a few example of police using firearms to kill innocent people. So how about we take your gun away before you kill some innocent child? Lady, I think that badge and gun have gone to your head.
Go read some sex offender treatment files on some of the perps convicted using the internet and then come talk to me.
I just did.
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Re: an opposing view
Um. That's not even close to true. WiredSafety, Enough Is Enough, ConnectSafely, the Family Online Safety Institute, iKeepSafe, and even the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children were all a part of the study.
Are you honestly claiming that these organizations, who deal with such victims every day had no input into the study results?
Who are you kidding?
Jump on some of the sites and see what a target rich environment it is.
Did you even bother to read the research that was actually QUOTED above in the article. The researcher went and looked for ACTUAL EVIDENCE of kids being targeted on these sites, and found VERY, VERY LITTLE. You can scare up as many bogeymen quotes as you want, but the evidence suggests it's just not happening.
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Making political hay
As we continue to make it impossible for a sex offender to change himself and return to being a productive member of society we only endanger children more. For those of you who think that sex offenders cannot change then I would have you look into the statistical proof where treated sex offenders have an extremely low rate of re offense.
Drunk drivers do more damage to children for life than do sex offenders yet there are no DUI registries. Why not? Because DUI convictions hit closer to home than sex offender convictions. If society continues with this punishment kick soon they will ensure that those who offend leave no witnesses behind. How many children will suffer the ultimate price? Or when will we make every crime a registrable offense?
Where is common sense?
These politicians always uses people, and in this case, children, to further their careers rather than actually do something that will keep us safe. Their policies will one day increase prison population to 2% then 3% of the population. Most people would rather just shoot a sex offender instead of locking him up. Most people accused of sex offenses are automatically convicted by society before their trial, and there are many that are accused that are not guilty.
To protect children parents must insert themselves into the lives of their children because, ultimately, their interaction and knowledge of their children will do more to protect than anything politicians will ever do.
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Re: Parenting 101 - grow up and get a life
So if there is one example of a teacher abusing a child then we should outlaw teachers? If one 'Uncle' abuses a child then we should pass laws that prevent 'Uncles' from being around their nephews/nieces, right? If there is one Religious figure who has abused children, then we should pass laws that prevent children from being around religious figures (I would support this one, but only because religion is another form of societal control similar to politics).
Just because someone can do something bad with an existing tool, does that mean that we have to pass laws regulating the use of that specific tool, rather than going after the ones actually breaking the law? I'm sure phones have been used by pedophiles to contact their victims, lets pass laws making it illegal for people to call children....
How extreme do we need to get before people realize that it's the PEOPLE who are the problem, NOT THE TOOLS....
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