MySpace?

[evox3]

This post brought to you by the letter 'R'.

This story showed up on Slashdot. A 14-year-old girl and her mother are suing MySpace to the tune of $30 million for failing to protect the girl from meeting a 19-year-old male who apparently sexually assaulted her

Comments

[arichi]

Frivolous.

For starters, it isn't feasible for MySpace to screen even 1% of its customers, much less all of them.

Next, I'm sure the EULA says something about your responsibility in monitoring who you meet. To the best of my knowledge, I don't have a MySpace account, so I don't know for certain.

Third, any person you meet via MySpace is creepy. Period.

Finally, the lawsuit seems to say that MySpace is liable because people lie on their site.

I take the common-sense stand on this: prosecute the sexual predators who attack via this, and make sure people know this is possible. This lawsuit falls into the "the product says 'for external use only' so I went outside to use it" category.

As far as I'm concerned, the only person liable here is the sexual assailant, assuming that he did that which he is accused. If the mother knew she was meeting a guy from MySpace and didn't try to prevent it, I can see a good case of her being responsible too for criminal negligence.

[rosalindlancast]

My thoughts exactly. Mike said everything, so I won't repeat them.

I just think it's interesting that the parents didn't sue themselves for negligence, instead they want MySpace to be responsible for actions of their daughter.

Even if MySpace does screen their users, let's just assume they do, HOW are they going to stop a willing 14 year old from meeting her sexual preditor? Anyone could easily go around any sort of screeners on websites. It's beyond me why porn sites ask you if you're older than 18 before you enter. No one under 18 is going to admit they're under 18 if entering the website is their goal. Even if MySpace has a disclaimer the size of half a screen, she would've still gone and met the guy.

IMO, they're out for money.

[arichi]

Porn sites ask for the same reason that I'm sure MySpace has the "you're responsible for your own actions" type clause in their EULA: so that if minors access it, they can claim misrepresentation by the "damaged" party.

Second thought

[arichi]

What age did the guy in question think she was? What kind of assault was it? Did he think it was consentual (assuming he thought she was 18)

[holly_hox]

if the girl is going to sue anyone, it should be her mother, for neglecting to teach her how not to be a huge fucking retard. I have no sympathy for people who should know better, and after all the internet-involved sexual assaults, everyone should know better. fucking retards.

[arichi]

I have to admit that I feel sorry for the 14 year old girl in this situation... I feel sorry that she's such a retard, but that's feeling sorry nonetheless.

[rosalindlancast]

It is bad luck. Many meet their web friends without getting raped. Nevertheless, you should screen your webfriends extensively before you go out with them. I met... 2... yeah, 2 web friends. One I screened through 3 years before I went to a party with him. The other I met in a convention.

We should just teach kids to meet strangers in open settings. ~_~;

[arichi]

Exactly! That's how I've met all of my web friends and I wasn't molested. By them.

[jamned]

Besides the arguments already made, Myspace only provided the means for their interaction. If this suit went through, then why can't the mother also sue Starbucks for serving as their hypothetical meeting place? That would be absurd, of course. Women meet men at clubs and some of these turn out to be date rape cases, but the clubs (usually) aren't liable for what happens afterwards.

Strictly speaking, two people could carry on such a conversation in a purely joking manner too. If Myspace were to crack down on such conversations, then it'd be a restriction on one's freedom of speech. This is a weak argument, I admit, because one doesn't really have electronic freedom of speech in a strict interpretation of "speech".

[personimpromptu]

Think about the girl in the first place. She was a minor seeking an 18 year old football player with the intention of having sex with him. She's already looking to break a law and then gets upset that the guy isn't 19 or a football player.

The whole situation is terrible and lousy with stupidity. The mother is negligent, the girl a fool, and the guy a possible rapist or an idiot who doesn't understand age differences.