If a bill introduced in the US Congress, yesterday, goes through, people such as Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch would have full access to a restricted US database of sex offenders.

Murdoch's News Corp owns MySpace, infamous as a hunting ground for sexual predators. Under the legislation, it and similar sites would be able to tap into the data base to check names and addresses against public profiles, says Associated Press.

"The legislation, aimed at giving computer network operators the knowledge and ability to remove sexual predators from their sites, would require convicted sex offenders to register their e-mail addresses and other online identifiers with federal authorities," says the story. "The information would not be released to the public."

Presumably, this is meant to make sure data held in the base aren't abused. However, MySpace and sites like it, hard-core commercial enterprises run by entrepreneurs, are hardly shining examples of probity.

Be that as it may, "Adults who misrepresent their age to a minor with the intent of sexually abusing a child could be prosecuted and sentenced to up to 20 years in prison," says AP, adding:

"The bill defines "social networking" sites in broad terms - a Web site that allows users to create public profiles and communicate with other users - and could include popular destinations like Amazon.com, which allows shoppers to make personal pages and discuss items for sale."

However, "Critics are ridiculing the latest legislative effort to combat online sexual predators, saying provisions of a law proposed Tuesday would be easy to circumvent and amounted to little more than political 'window dressing' supported by the online social networking giant MySpace.com," says The San Francisco Chronicle, going on:

"But sponsors - which include influential senators like John McCain, R-Ariz., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., - say the Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual Predators Act of 2007 addresses a small, but important, part of ridding social networking sites of predators:"

Meanwhile, MySpace, currently being sued by the families of five girls who were sexually assaulted by men they'd met on MySpace, says it'll donate use of its own sex offenders database to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).

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Also See:
Associated Press - Lawmakers Take Aim at Online Predators, January 31, 2007
The San Francisco Chronicle - Bill to curb online sexual predators criticized, January 31, 2007
five girls - MySpace in sex assault case, January 29, 2007
sex offenders - MySpace sexual offenders dbase, January 31, 2007