• The New York Times, Wednesday, May 16, 2007 10:46 AM

After a statement from the Connecticut State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal that thousands of sexual offenders are lurking on MySpace, the News Corp. social network urgently responded that it's prepared to work with state attorneys general to stamp out the problem. The company said its cooperation hinges on whether state officials follow the law and subpoena the names. The attorney generals want the MySpace info to be able to lock up sex offenders.

MySpace several months ago bulked up its anti-sex predator team when this issue came to the boil several months ago, but the release of user information was never something it agreed to do. It's interesting to ponder whether Google would do the same thing, given that the Mountain, Calif. Web giant has as much, if not more information about who alleged sex offenders are and where they go on the Web.

However, MySpace here is saying that it will comply with the law, which prohibits the company from releasing its user information without a subpoena, which the attorneys general had deemed unnecessary. Blumenthal said he was disappointed in the company's decision: "We have a valid and viable need to know about convicted sexual offenders who may pose a threat to children."

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