[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 30, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1342-S1343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SCHUMER (for himself and Mr. McCain):
  S. 431. A bill to require convicted sex offenders to register online 
identifiers, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleague, Senator 
Schumer, in sponsoring the ``Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sexual-
Predators Act of 2007,'' otherwise known as the KIDS Act. This bill 
would require a convicted sex offender to register any e-mail address, 
instant message address or other similar Internet identifying 
information the sex offender uses or may use with the Department of 
Justice's National Sex Offender Registry. This information would then 
be made available to commercial social networking websites for the 
purpose of screening the website's user database to ensure convicted 
sex offenders are not using the website to prey on innocent children.
  The Internet is likely the greatest invention of the 21st century; 
however, it has also brought ready access to millions of children by 
would be pedophiles. There are thousands of social networking websites 
and chat rooms where children post personal information about 
themselves hoping to connect with other children. Many children who 
access the Internet in a safe environment, such as their home or 
school, combined with the natural trust of a child, forget that they 
are sharing personal information with complete strangers. This allows 
strangers that a child would likely never speak with in the ``real 
world'' to prey on children more easily.
  In a Pew Internet and American Life survey released earlier this 
month, 55 percent of adolescents polled said they have posted a profile 
on a social networking website, and 48 percent of adolescents polled 
say they visit a social networking website every day. These statistics 
prove that the fight to protect our children from sexual predators has 
moved from the playground to the Internet.
  For this reason, Senator Schumer and I are introducing legislation 
that would enable social networking websites to protect their young 
users from convicted sex offenders. By requiring sex offenders to 
register e-mail addresses and other Internet identifying information 
with the Department of Justice, and allowing the Department to offer 
this information to commercial social networking websites, Congress is 
providing websites with the tools to come forth with innovative 
solutions to protect children. A similar proposal was included in S. 
4089, the Stop the Exploitation of Our Children Act of 2006, which I 
introduced on December 6, 2006.
  According to the same Pew Internet and American life survey, fully 85 
percent of adolescents who have created an online profile say the 
profile they use or update most often is on MySpace, while 7 percent 
update a profile on Facebook. Consequently, I am pleased to report that 
both MySpace and Facebook endorse the KIDS Act. I look forward to other 
commercial social networking websites endorsing the bill and using the 
registry information after the bill is signed into law. Additionally, 
the bill is endorsed by the American Family Association. We all know 
that engaged parents are the best deterrent against sexual predators 
looking to prey on our children on the Internet. Parents that monitor 
their children's access to the Internet or are present when the child 
or adolescent is on-line are able to better ensure their children are 
not drawn into inappropriate online conversations with sexual 
predators.
  Last week I received an e-mail from a police detective who 
investigates Internet sex crimes in Ohio. The detective gave his full 
endorsement for this legislation stating, ``What a great idea . . . 
[Congress] continues to arm us with great legislation to help protect 
our nation's children.'' I agree and

[[Page S1343]]

hope my colleagues will join with Senator Schumer and me in supporting 
this bill to give websites and law enforcement this important tool in 
their fight to protect our children.
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