Although individuals on probation require meeting with their parole officer, and might be required to wear an ankle bracelet, who is watching what they do online? A local news team in Lubbock, Texas, found that six local men convincted of being sex offenders were routinely trolling MySpace and even had their own profile. Some were still on probation.

In Lubbock, after you are convicted of a sex offence you must register your name and face for life with a city registry. There is no such legislation yet for the Internet, but it seems like they are contemplating it:

However, we spoke with State Representatives Carl Isett, Delwin Jones and Senator Robert Duncan. They all believe added restrictions are needed. For example, Isett, Jones, and Duncan believe any sex offender using social networking sites should prominently display they are a sex offender for anyone to see. The issue may be discussed at the next legislative session that starts in January.

Social networking sites requiring people to display what their sex offender status is? Sounds good in principle, but I just don’t see how enforceable this is. I’m not sure what the answer is, but its good to see that some journalists are breaking down the social networking wall to see where these perverts are hiding.