MySpace case

I’m most familiar with MySpace as a tool for marketing movies. But, then again, I’m 54 years old, and not a sexual predator. (Really. Honest.) Folks much younger than me are accustomed to posting the most intimate details about themselves on their MySpace pages. Other folks – including some my age, and older – are accustomed to trolling those MySpace pages in search of fresh prey. A Texas judge has tossed out a lawsuit filed by angry parents who claim MySpace didn’t do enough to protect their 13-year-old daughter against an alleged predator. Unfortunately for all parties involved, the Internet likely will never be safe enough to suit everyone. As an L.A. Times editorial notes, no matter what filtering systems and protective devices are installed to prevent minors from contacting (and being contacted by) adults, “the most vulnerable youths often are the most resourceful ones.” But not nearly as resourceful as those who would exploit them.