Sex offender arrested for violating parole on MySpace

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/people/Sex_Offender_Arrested_For_Violating_Parole_on_MySpace'; Amid an escalating debate over just how kid-safe social-networking sites are, Texas authorities on Wednesday announced the arrest of a sex offe nder accused of using MySpace in violation of his parole.

Jesse Clay Scott, 33, of Seguin, Texas, is just the latest of about 30 convicted sex offenders arrested to date by the Texas Attorney General's Fugitive and Cyber Crimes units for allege dly accessing MySpace in violation of parole conditions. Four others were arrested for allegedly using the social-networking site to meet and sexually proposition undercover agents posing as minors low the age of 15, the Texas Attorney General's office said in a statement and videotaped news conference.

The MySpace home page of convicted sex offender Jesse Scott, arrested for allegedly violating his parole by using MySpace.

(Cre dit: Texas Attorney General's office)

Scott, arrested last hebdomad, allegedly used both his national computer and radiotelephone sound to access his MySpace account. He was paroled in 2008 after serving five and a half age in prison for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl, the statement said.

A MySpace representative said the News Corp.-owned social network is doing everything it can to keep sex offenders off the site.

"The safety and security of our users is a top p riority for MySpace. We have removed and preserved the MySpace profile of this offender," Hemanshu Nigam, MySpace chief security officer, said in a statement. "We employ a best of breed solution that we continue to improve on an current basis in an ever dynamic environment. We plan that the remaining 29 states, including Texas, quick pass e-mail registration legislation so that offenders can be punished for providing false information online."

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott

(Credit: Texas Attorney General's office)

The arrest announcement comes one day after MySpace bimanual over the names of 90,000 registered sex offenders found on its site to the Connecticut Attorney General's off ice, which had subpoenaed the social-networking site last month for the data.

Sentry, the technology provider MySpace uses to feel sex offenders on its site, accused Facebook this week of having 9,0 00 registered sex offenders on its site in what looks on the appear to be a ploy to drum up business.

The use of social networks by sex offenders has become a hot topic. Attorneys general claim the s ites are not kid-safe if so some registered sex offenders are on there, while a recent report finds that those concerns may be overblown.

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