New Texas bill wants sex offenders to register gamertags, other online names |
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There's a new bill being hatched in Texas that may require convicted sex offenders to register their gamertags and other account names for online game networks like the PlayStation Network and Second Life with the fuzz. The new bill is called HB 22 and is headed to the Texas House of Representatives. If it passes there, it's next stop will be the Senate.
I'm no legal eagle so here's GamePolitics' take on the bill:
As HB 22 is currently written, the measure would seem to encompass online gaming venues such as Xbox Live, PlayStation Home and Second Life. However, no specific reference to online gaming appears in the bill, which has cleared committee but has not yet been taken up on the House floor.
In fact, a stricter interpretation of HB22 might preclude sex offenders from places like XBL and SL entirely. That's because the bill bars sex offenders from using the Internet to access commercial social networking sites. Such a prohibition which might reasonably be extended to encompass the increasingly prominent social aspects of online gaming venues.
GamePolitics also notes that with the rising number of pedophile arrests over online gaming networks, similar bills could start popping up in the future.
Related articles:
- Missouri Police: An adult and playing Animal Crossing? Something's wrong with you!
- Pedophiles preying in Home!
Via GamePolitics
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Comments [refresh]
i love how you guys are using pedobear to describe the users reaction
If you're MATURE enough to play these 17+ rated games online, then accept that the gaming community is a haven for creepos and perverts.
Suck it up! Well...not literally ;).
Makes sense to me. At least its not like that stupid law they passed in Korea that requires you to use your REAL name for any website registration. Criminals have limited rights, and have to accept consequences. Honest citizens shouldn't have too.
Well this is another thing to try and convince people not to screw up with the whole "she looked 18" argument. The government wont only take your youth away but they'll also take away your fun (possibly).
I say go for it though it seems way way too broad to actually be manageable. There are far too many online games and networking sites out there but they could keep a close eye on the popular ones like XBL, PSN, and Myspace. It'd be damn funny to go on some pedo watcher site and see how many sex offenders are crawling around Myspace. And I agree if you're playing an 17+ game then be prepared for the worst, sadly though a lot of the soccer mom types will shift the blame onto anyone else but themselves for allowing things to happen.
Perfect sense. No objection.
no, it's not really that funny to see how many sex offenders live next to you
http://www.familywatchdog.us/
Yeah, its been in the news.
A guy in Houston was arrested for getting a 13 year old girl to send nudes of herself through eyetoy, and there was a report by a person who works for a local tv station that some body tried talking to her daughter (6 years old I think) through the DS's Pico Chat.
And I'm pretty sure these were just in the last 2 months.
Don't they realise how easy it is to just get a new username.
Hang on.....
Lets say there are multiple users using the online persona "User1billion" (just to make a point, its a very lame name so hopefully it will not directly apply to anyone)
One of these users turns out to be a pedo, gets caught and has to register this persona to the sex offenders register. This means that all the other users of this name will be monitored and tied to the same brush despite probably not knowing or ever hav8ing anything to do with the guy.
FAIL!
That covers the 17+ games. Now how about the non 17+ games?
Not really. If User1billion was registered on XBL then only User1billion on XBL would be monitored. User1billion on PSN wouldn't be monitored.
Sounds like a good idea to me. Also sounds like a lot of wheel spinning but I guess Texas must be rich!!! We don't have money in Cali for that kind of stuff.
wow its been a long time hearing the word fuzz with the po po