Social Networking Site Bans Anyone Over Age 36 To (Sorta) Deal With Sex Offender Law

from the say-what-now? dept

We’ve pointed out the ridiculousness of various laws (and proposed laws) to require all sex offenders to register their usernames and emails — and to have social networking sites match up their userlist to that list to ban users — but this latest story is even more ridiculous. Apparently, the UK has put in place a law that could eventually require the Secretary of State to set up a system where sex offenders will be required to register their email addresses. This isn’t the law yet, however, and may never be put in place. Yet, one social network is apparently reacting anyway, and has deleted all profiles of people over the age of 36, claiming that since it doesn’t require a valid email address to register for the site, it has no way to compare its registered base with the still non-existent registered offender list. Why age 36? No one seems to have any clue. Basically, the reasoning makes almost no sense at all. The law isn’t really in place yet. The 36 year old age cut off has nothing to do with the law — or with actually blocking sex offenders, many of whom are well below the age of 36. This doesn’t even make the point about how ridiculous some of these laws are. It just shows a totally nonsensical reaction to a non-law.

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Comments on “Social Networking Site Bans Anyone Over Age 36 To (Sorta) Deal With Sex Offender Law”

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41 Comments
Department of Child Safety and Such says:

For The Health And Safety Of The Children we have decided to ban everyone but children from teh intarwebs. This action will allow a safe child friendly place to allow young people to interact without the fear of criminals and other undesirables.

Thank you for your understanding and consideration.
DoCSaS

Anonymous Coward says:

Police order?

“Having discussed the use of our website with the home office and the police, and further some pretty serious crimes caused by older users, we were left with no option but to terminate a huge amount of accounts, and without notice, immediately,”

So, they’re claiming the authorities required this action.

not a perv, or am I? says:

Re: Reason young adults get busted

Reasons why To Catch A Predator busts young adults more than other ages:
1) Teens under 16 don’t drive to sting houses
2) Pervs who made it past 25 and didn’t get caught see through the stings. Except the stupid ones of course.
3) The 20 year old who likes hot 14-year-old flesh becomes hte 30-year-old who likes hot 24-year-old LEGAL flesh.

Blatant Coward says:

We can just have all people wanting to use an internet site require a surgically embedded fob to be able to get on the net, when your fob turns black on Last Day at age 36, you can no longer get on the intertubes.

You also get to beat up Farrah Fawcett majors on that day before someone dressed in black spandex shoots you.

Anonymous Coward says:

Well done. I have always said you can’t trust anyone under 30 for a long time. But 36 works equally well for me.

I consider it both thoughtful and well intentioned to segregate people under 36 from the rest of us. It means we can have cyber sex in peace without having trolling bored housewives trying to entrap us in underage sex scams. WELL DONE ! :-))))))

Turtle Butt says:

Is this a joke?

I read the source article, and the company is quoted as saying they were “invaded by a gang of pervs.” A gang? Pervs are forming gangs now? Is membership in the Gang of Pervs limited to those over the age of 36?

And as to the name of the site, FaceParty? Who the hell would want to be part of a group called FaceParty?

Anonymous Coward says:

Liked the references to the movie of Logan’s Run.
“Welcome to Carousel.”

In the book, the age of the mandatory visit to a sleepshop was 21. There was no visit to Carousel or the promise of reincarnation. These conceptual changes were added to the movie with an arbitrary age increase to 30.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan%27s_Run_%281976_film%29

So like the transition of the book to the movie, we can now live another 6 years on our social networks. Then life is over. Oh, that is at 40 … sorry.

Anonymous Coward says:

If any of you knew anythnig about Face Party you would find the banning of 36 year olds much more amusing.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/specials/rich_list/article3800664.ece

So much for the bozo theory.

Half the posts on this site revolve around Journalists taking stories at face value but all readers are quick to to take Micheal Masnicks paragraph at face value, not to mention Masnick himself basing his piece on a piece in the register.

denise says:

i tried to log in today to find that at the prehistoric age of 42 ive also been banned.thats enough of an insult in itself but to imagine that i could be a potential threat to kids just takes the piss ,im just a hardworking loving single mum who just enjoys chatting with friends online of an evening . i had noticed tho that in the profiles theres a lot of sexy young girls had topless suggestive pics who where in reality botts adverising pay as you go sex chatlines ,their all under 35 so their fake profiles will be allowed to stay , i however being 6 years out of date will just have to settle for slippers and cocoa ha ,its all too crazy for words

paolo francis says:

faceparty booted over 36 year olds cartoon

Face party have terminated thousands of accounts from it’s website without notice. Many are paid members and have not received a refund.The Face party site implies that if you are over 36 years of age you are more likely to be a paedophile.
They also state that they are following government and police guidelines. CHECK OUT MY CARTOON ON http://www.partipeeps.com website
which is a protest to faceparty and look up madartist.
kind regards
Paolo

chantal says:

I'm sorry can you repeat that?

Okay so… they think getting old means we all turn into sex offenders? Really? What a load of garbage. Sex offenders are of all ages and colors and sexes. Either you have a predilection for it or your don’t. The reason for removal might be other than they claim, using the issue as a reason for eliminating what is probably a smaller percentage of their users.
Ridiculous.

Anonymous Coward says:

Faceparty

Faceparty have kept a lot of the older guys on who have been paying for adult pics and they have also set up a lot of fake accounts asking for people to text them on the number given on their site to receive adult material, but if you look at the number given you will find it is the number they give you on the top of your profile to be added to their shoutouts for the cost of £1.50, now doesn’t this come under obtaining money through fraud and deception.

Anonymous Coward says:

Faceparty

Faceparty have kept a lot of the older guys on who have been paying for adult pics and they have also set up a lot of fake accounts asking for people to text them on the number given on their site to receive adult material, but if you look at the number given you will find it is the number they give you on the top of your profile to be added to their shoutouts for the cost of £1.50, now doesn’t this come under obtaining money through fraud and deception.

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