MySpace Adds Anti-Predator Measures

MySpace will add protections to prevent abuse by sexual predators, officials of several states said today. The social networking company reached an agreement with 49 states over concerns about predators contacting children through its popular site. MySpace will also join a working group aimed at developing new technologies, such as age verification, and that other sites will be invited as well, the AP reports.

Changes include making teen users’ default setting “private,” responding within 72 hours to content complaints, and creating a high school section for minors. The agreement comes after a multi-state investigation of MySpace, Facebook, and other social networking sites. "This is an industry-wide challenge, and we must all work together to create a safer Internet," said a MySpace rep. (More social networking stories.)