MySpace to share sex offender data         

[May 24, 2007]  RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- MySpace.com will provide a number of state attorneys general with data on registered sex offenders who use the popular social networking site, the company said Monday.

Attorneys general from nine states demanded last week that the company provide data on how many registered sex offenders are using the site and where they live. MySpace initially refused, citing federal privacy laws.

MySpace obtained the data from Sentinel Tech Holding Corp., which the company partnered with in December to build a database with information on sex offenders.

MySpace, owned by media conglomerate News Corp., said it had always planned to share the Sentinel data with law enforcement, adding it has already deleted the online profiles of sex offenders identified by the system.

Attorneys general in North Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, Illinois and Pennsylvania asked for the Sentinel data last week.

Cooper's office said in a statement the information could potentially be used to look for parole violations or help in investigations.

[Text copied from file received from AP Digital; article by Margaret Lillard, Associated Press writer]