MySpace announced a set of safety features Tuesday, aimed at protecting its youngest users. The announcement comes less than a week after four families sued the News Corp. subsidiary for failing to protect their teenage daughters from alleged sexual predators trolling the site.

Starting Tuesday, the site will post localized online AMBER alerts, telling users about abducted children in their area. Users registered in the zip code where the alert was issued will see a notification in small box at the top of the screen. If they click on the text, they’ll get more information, including a photo and description of the abducted child, along with information on suspects and vehicles.

AMBER stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. It was created as a legacy to 9-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was kidnapped and murdered.

MySpace will now also require all users to register with valid e-mail addresses. New users will have to confirm their addresses via e-mail. Those older than 18 will also be blocked from contacting younger users, a program that was previously available only for users under 16.

Over the past year, Congress, parents, and state officials slammed the News Corp. (nyse: NWS – news - people ) website for failing to sufficiently protect its youngest members. A coalition of 34 state attorneys general is threatening to sue MySpace unless it raises its minimum membership age to 16 (from the current 14) and institutes stricter age-verification technology than it currently employs. Read the rest.

OSA Editorial Comments:

I am glad to see that MySpace officials are taking a active roll in trying to solve some of the major problems, and fix some of the smaller problems as they come up!

Your Online Security Authority
Bill Wardell

Written by: OSAblogger / Bill Wardell - Please Read Our Latest OSA eZine Edition

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