Forcing Paedophiles to register their email address.

Hitman_Leon · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:12

I suppose they could be forced to register an ip address, but that would require all isp's to be aware of their status when they apply for broadband service, civil rights and privacy would go nuts. And they could always get round it with cafes and wifi spots. I cant see how any of it would work, Fail.

scorza · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:15

Dolph said:
The solution to that is education, not ineffective regulation.

Agreed but in the mean time? Remember that just because a child has bad parents it doesn't mean that the child should not be protected from online paedophiles.

I'm not so sure it's ineffective legislation this. It seems to me the proposed law is 10% about prevention and 90% about locking paedo's up. Which is a good thing.

Sp!ke · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:19

[We want to] Make it more difficult for people registered over the age of 18 to search for users under the age of 18 - Home Office

So an 18 yr old chatting up a 17 yr old is now a paedo :rolleyes:

MTA99 · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:22

robbiemc said:
I saw an interview on this morning about this. Apparently it would then be an offense to use a new email address - punishable by 5 years in jail IIRC.

So it's not some stupid, pointless exercise, it's designed to have some clout, however the policing of that would be pretty hard.

I'm going to have to disagree, I believe it is a "pointless exercise".

Imagine that you're a recently released child sex offender and you have to register your email address so you can't gain access to facebook, bebo etc. If you are genuinely reformed by your penal service, you understand its a dangerous temptation so steer clear and live your life without social networks, its pointless. If you are a reformed character who wants to stay in touch with friends via facebook but are unable to register with your designated email address, you get a hotmail/yahoo account, sign up under a false name, don't commit any kind of illegal activity and don't alert the interest of the police, you can use the social networks for the purpose they were intended and the registration is once again pointless.

In the final scenario you are unaffected by any kind of "correction" and still a threat to society. You register your address and because you know paedophilia is a crime (you've just done time for it!) you use an alternative email address to access social networks and start to groom youngsters. You commit a crime, the police get involved, notice you have registered an alternate email address and bang you up for 5 years *despite* the fact they only got involved once a crime had been alleged or detected. In that situation 5years in prison is no deterrent ie. its pointless!

I know the above is very "daily mail" but this whole law is very "daily mail". Its a poorly thought out, poorly executed response to a threat the law makers don't understand! They should watch The Day Today paedo-special

Dolph · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:26

scorza said:
Agreed but in the mean time? Remember that just because a child has bad parents it doesn't mean that the child should not be protected from online paedophiles.

This law won't protect them from online paedophiles though, if such a term even makes sense. This law will do nothing apart from place additional burdens on websites that can safely ignore them (because they aren't UK based) and make people think something is being done.

I'm not so sure it's ineffective legislation this. It seems to me the proposed law is 10% about prevention and 90% about locking paedo's up. Which is a good thing.

Laws designed to entrap people for otherwise regular behaviour (joining myspace) is a good thing now?

Energize · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:36

Why stop adults finding people under 18 when the age of consent is 16? There are so many contradictions in uk law it's unbelievable.

scorza · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:42

Dolph said:
This law won't protect them from online paedophiles though, if such a term even makes sense. This law will do nothing apart from place additional burdens on websites that can safely ignore them (because they aren't UK based) and make people think something is being done.

MySpace definitely has a UK based now, I think Bebo does too. Being based abroad is no excuse for contravening UK law.

Dolph said:
Laws designed to entrap people for otherwise regular behaviour (joining myspace) is a good thing now?

Hardly entrapment. They will know what is required of them when they sign the sex offenders register. It's their choice if they want to break the law by using a non-registered email address.

K.C. Leblanc · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:49

I can't see this helping much because it's so easy for people to set up new email addresses under false names.

I think the biggest problem is parents don't understand these sites so they can't possibley make sure their children are using these sites sensibly.

A lot of parents just ignore anything to do with a computer, probably because they're scared of being humiliated by their children.

Anyone remember this.

LordSplodge · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:52

Lysander said:
This is just daft.

Most people have more than one email address. And if your address is passed on you can just reregister. Pointless.

Correct. The government deserve these:

and especially this...

The Government needs to look to Denmark (I think, could be one of the others) for a solution...

platypus · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:54

Dolph said:
Surely the solution is for parents to actually parent their children...

Putting the responsibility on the parent rather then the state? How dare you.

MikeHunt79 · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:57

What if they banned IP addresses instead?

platypus · 4 Apr 2008 at 12:58

MikeHunt79 said:
What if they banned IP addresses instead?

What if they did? It's easy enough to spoof an IP address, or just obtain a dynamic one.

You can just register any email address anyway surely. Like if I sign up to anything I always use [email protected] in the hope he'll get some spam.

MTA99 · 4 Apr 2008 at 13:06

platypus said:
Like if I sign up to anything I always use [email protected] in the hope he'll get some spam.

I use [email protected]

Pity he's left now

Energize · 4 Apr 2008 at 13:10

MTA99 said:
I use [email protected]

Pity he's left now

He's the chairman...

Vonhelmet · 4 Apr 2008 at 13:13

I don't even remember all my own e-mail addresses. I hardly expect someone else could keep track of them for me.

platypus · 4 Apr 2008 at 13:14

Energize said:
He's the chairman...

Viva la 16th of June!

MTA99 · 4 Apr 2008 at 13:14

Energize said:
He's the chairman...

So it should be [email protected] from now on?

MikeHunt79 · 4 Apr 2008 at 13:17

platypus said:
What if they did? It's easy enough to spoof an IP address, or just obtain a dynamic one.

It may be easy for some, but it's more difficult than simply using another hotmail account for example. A lot of people don't even know what an IP adress is!

I'm not really sure what to suggest really, it's a shame there isn't more that can be done, but at the end of the day the parents are in the best position to prevent this sort of thing.

platypus · 4 Apr 2008 at 13:20

MikeHunt79 said:
It may be easy for some, but it's more difficult than simply using another hotmail account for example. A lot of people don't even know what an IP adress is!

Given the technical tricks a lot of paedophiles go through to cover their tracks, you would assume something as easy as spoofing their IP address would not be difficult for the majority.

Jebblehmoo · 4 Apr 2008 at 13:21

I thought that they'd have their names surely if they ask for their email adresses, so either way they have the paedophiles names on list, but ultimately, I think the email thing is pointless as well, for the same reasons as everyone else, but saying that, they could change their names too but, usually people like that dont go to such lengths.