MySpace sued for $30 million

Popular social networking site, MySpace.com which has been severely criticized as a hunting ground for ‘child predators’ and pedophiles, is being sued after a 14 year old girl was sexually assaulted by someone she met on the site. The $30 million suit accuses MySpace of not providing protection to its underage users and not verifying any registered information. The lawyer representing the family accused MySpace of being more concerned about making money than protecting children online. Solis, the 19 year old boy who assaulted her, and News Corporation, parent company of MySpace are also named as defendants in the suit. Hemanshu Nigam, MySpace.com’s chief security officer responded to the suit, saying that they take aggressive measures to protect members and encourage everyone on the internet to engage in smart web practices. While MySpace puts the onus on its members to avoid situations like these, fact remains that the site (US) has had a very bad reputation for becoming a breeding ground for anti social activities. In the past few months, there have been aggressive efforts from politicians and concerned parents to shut down the social networking site but this suit seems to be the last nail on its coffin.