Twigz
01-19-2007, 04:02 PM
Four families have sued News Corp. and its MySpace social-networking site after their underage daughters were sexually abused by adults they met on the site, lawyers for the families said yesterday.
The Austin and Houston law firms said families from upstate New York, Texas, Pennsylvania and South Carolina filed separate suits Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging negligence, recklessness, fraud and negligent misrepresentation by the companies.
"In our view, MySpace waited entirely too long to attempt to institute meaningful security measures that effectively increase the safety of their underage users," said attorney Jason Itkin.
The families are seeking monetary damages "in the millions of dollars," Itkin said.
Critics including parents, school officials and police have increasingly warned of predators at sites like MySpace, where youth-oriented visitors are encouraged to expand their circles of friends using free messaging tools and personal profile pages.
MySpace has responded with added educational efforts and partnerships with law enforcement. The company also has placed restrictions on how adults may contact younger users on MySpace, while developing technologies such as one announced Wednesday to let parents see some aspects of their child's online profile, including the stated age. That tool is expected this summer.
"MySpace serves as an industry leader on Internet safety and we take proactive measures to protect our members," Hemanshu Nigam, MySpace's chief security officer, said in a statement.
The lawyers who filed the lawsuits said the plaintiffs include a girl, 15, from Texas, a 14-year-old from upstate New York, a Pennsylvania 15-year-old, and two South Carolina sisters, 14 and 15.
The Austin and Houston law firms said families from upstate New York, Texas, Pennsylvania and South Carolina filed separate suits Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging negligence, recklessness, fraud and negligent misrepresentation by the companies.
"In our view, MySpace waited entirely too long to attempt to institute meaningful security measures that effectively increase the safety of their underage users," said attorney Jason Itkin.
The families are seeking monetary damages "in the millions of dollars," Itkin said.
Critics including parents, school officials and police have increasingly warned of predators at sites like MySpace, where youth-oriented visitors are encouraged to expand their circles of friends using free messaging tools and personal profile pages.
MySpace has responded with added educational efforts and partnerships with law enforcement. The company also has placed restrictions on how adults may contact younger users on MySpace, while developing technologies such as one announced Wednesday to let parents see some aspects of their child's online profile, including the stated age. That tool is expected this summer.
"MySpace serves as an industry leader on Internet safety and we take proactive measures to protect our members," Hemanshu Nigam, MySpace's chief security officer, said in a statement.
The lawyers who filed the lawsuits said the plaintiffs include a girl, 15, from Texas, a 14-year-old from upstate New York, a Pennsylvania 15-year-old, and two South Carolina sisters, 14 and 15.