7 States Ask MySpace.com For Names, Addresses of Registered Sex Offenders

RALEIGH, N.C. — Top law enforcement officers from seven states issued a letter to MySpace.com on Monday, asking the social networking site to turn over the names of registered sex offenders who use the service.

The letter asks MySpace to provide information on how many registered sex offenders are using the site, and where they live. Attorneys general from North Carolina, Connecticut, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania signed the letter.

Law enforcement agencies have identified more than 200 cases nationwide of children "lured out of their home by predators they met on MySpace," North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper said a written statement Monday.

In their letter, the attorneys general also asked that MySpace describe the steps it has taken to warn users about sex offenders and remove their profiles.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal called the site a "virtual playground" for predators.

"That combination of sex offenders and children is a recipe for tragedy," Blumenthal said.

Myspace's policy prevents children under 14 from setting up profiles, but it relies on users to specify their ages.