UK sex offenders to be banned from some websites
{{date|April 4, 2008}}
[[Image:Smith, Jacqui (crop).jpg|thumb|left|[[w:Home Secretary|Home Secretary]] [[w:Jacqui Smith|Jacqui Smith]] who revealed the plan today.]]
{{Infobox Internet}}Around 30,000 registered sex offenders in the [[United Kingdom]] could be made to provide the government with their email addresses, in order for their access to social networking sites to be blocked.

New government proposals would mean that the addresses provided would be passed onto sites such as [[w:Facebook|Facebook]], [[w:Bebo|Bebo]] and [[w:MySpace|MySpace]], and others, who would then be responsible for blocking or monitoring access from those email addresses.

Offenders who refuse to, or provide fake emails, could expect jail terms of up to five years under the proposal, which, according to [[w:Home Secretary|Home Secretary]] [[w:Jacqui Smith|Jacqui Smith]] is designed to allow children to be "free from fear" whilst on line.

The policy has been welcomed by online protection groups, however others have commented that the policing of the internet is not possible.  The criticism comes on the same day that [[w:The Carphone Warehouse|The Carphone Warehouse]] refused to disconnect customers who shared music for free.

The details of the policy will be decided in the future, by the [[w:Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre|Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre]], which currently investigates around 400 reports of abuse every month, and internet firms.

It is estimated that around half of all children aged from 8 to 17 have at least one profile on a networking site. 

{{haveyoursay}}
== Sources ==
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7328170.stm
|title= Sex offenders face website bans
|author=
|pub=BBC News Online
|date=April 4, 2008}}
*{{source|url=http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3680392.ece
|title=Paedophiles to be forced to disclose e-mail addresses
|author=Richard Ford
|pub=Times Online
|date=April 4, 2008}}
<!--For Carphone Warehouse-->
*{{source|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7329801.stm
|title=Policing internet 'not ISP's job'
|author=
|pub=BBC News Online
|date=April 4, 2008}}

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[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Crime and law]]
[[Category:Internet]]
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[[Category:Facebook]]
[[Category:MySpace]]
[[Category:Sex crimes]]
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith who revealed the plan today.
Around 30,000 registered sex offenders in the United Kingdom could be made to provide the government with their email addresses, in order for their access to social networking sites to be blocked.

New government proposals would mean that the addresses provided would be passed onto sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace, and others, who would then be responsible for blocking or monitoring access from those email addresses.

Offenders who refuse to, or provide fake emails, could expect jail terms of up to five years under the proposal, which, according to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith is designed to allow children to be "free from fear" whilst on line.

The policy has been welcomed by online protection groups, however others have commented that the policing of the internet is not possible.  The criticism comes on the same day that The Carphone Warehouse refused to disconnect customers who shared music for free.

The details of the policy will be decided in the future, by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, which currently investigates around 400 reports of abuse every month, and internet firms.

It is estimated that around half of all children aged from 8 to 17 have at least one profile on a networking site.
Europe United Kingdom Politics and conflicts Crime and law Internet Jacqui Smith Bebo Facebook MySpace Sex crimes