CYBERSPACE – On the heels of several incidents involving comments and content posted by users to their online profiles, Myspace.com has removed over 200,000 “objectionable” profiles from the site in the last few months, according to various media reports.Officials for MySpace, which is now owned by News Corp, the parent company of Fox News, said the pages were removed because they contained hate speech or content that was “too risqué.”
Ross Levinsohn, the head of News Corps internet division, said at a news conference on Friday that the problems aren’t unique to MySpace and reflect a challenge that’s present throughout the Web.
“It’s a problem that’s endemic to the Internet – not just MySpace,” Levinsohn said. “The site, in the last two months, I think has become safer.”
Beyond their desire to make MySpace “safer,” the purge is likely also a move to soothe the nerves of MySpace advertisers, who have taken note of the recent controversies surrounding the site, no doubt.
News Corp claims that the site brings in 250,000 new users each day and boasts a membership of over 66 million people. Those numbers have attracted both advertisers and less desirable individuals – like sexual predators – to the massive online community.
For all the concern over MySpace’s potential as a possible stalking ground law enforcement agencies have found that the site can serve as an investigative tool, as well. Detectives recently used profiles and material posted to MySpace to identify six suspects in a rape and robbery case in Colorado, for example.
MySpace officials are also quick to note that the removal of profiles hasn’t been the only effort to improve the site; Levinsohn said that features are slated to be added soon, including the ability for users to post videos and that a possible search-based advertising deal could be announced as early as next week.
