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Lori Drew will learn her fate today, something that is long overdue.  Drew will be sentenced today in the highly publicized MySpace case that resulted in the tragic suicide of beautiful Megan Meier.  

Our thoughts are with you, Tina!

Stay tuned...

In case you didn't think predators were still lurking on social networking sites, guess again.  According to the Associated Press, 90,000 sexual predators have been identified and removed from the popular social networking site, MySpace. 

If you recall, attorneys general from around the country united last year in a combined effort to make social networking sites safer by using a variety of methods.  One method was to remove sexual predators from the sites.

MySpace currently has over 130 million users.  The amount of predators actually removed from the site was about double what the MySpace estimate was.  

In case you haven't heard, there is quite a stir going on at Facebook and it isn't the kind of  thing normally discussed on this site when referring to social networking websites.

There is a heated discussion going on regarding the removal of photographs on Facebook depicting women breastfeeding their children.   The removal of the photographs has many women outraged!  According to Facebook, photographs showing exposed breasts have been flagged and/or removed.  

Some who post the pictures believe the photographs are helpful to other women, while others find the pictures offensive.  Some believe that breastfeeding is a private matter between mother and child and should not be posted online. Others find the pictures beautiful.

As an online safety advocate, I have seen some very disturbing images and videos of children and young adults on many social networking sites over the years.  Many of those pictures have never been flagged or removed. It is ironic that pictures of adult women breastfeeding their children are being deleted while inappropriate pictures of teenagers and children are left online.

What do you think?  Should these photographs be removed?  Are they obscene or is it discrimination?

 Visit the petition, Hey Facebook, Breastfeeding is Not Obscene, for more info.

On a personal note - I took a bit of time off to move and get settled.  Now, it's back to business!

Wishing you and yours a happy and safe Christmas!

For quite some time, a particular entry on Wikipedia has caused concern for many.  Virgin Killer, an album released in the 70s by the Scorpions, has been controversial since it was released decades ago.  Why?  The cover of the album depicts an image of a nude child.

The United Kingdom based organization, Internet Watch Foundation,  is a valuable organization whose mission is to minimize the availability of illegal content online, including child sexual abuse images.

IWF reports the album cover had  a “potentially illegal indecent image of a child under 18, but hosted outside the UK” has placed the website address on it's blacklist.  They have posted an official statement on their website.

For more in-depth information regarding Wikipedia, visit my Wikipedia Warning for Parents.

For those of us who know Tina Meier,  the verdict in the Lori Drew cyberbullying case was much anticipated and frankly, long overdue.

As an online safety educator particularly passionate about the issues of electronic bullying, I am hopeful this ruling may pave the way for other hurtful and harmful cyberbullying acts.  Although Drew was not convicted on felonies, she was found guilty on several misdemeanor counts.  This ruling will hopefully deter others from bullying others electronically.

My thoughts and prayers are with Tina and her family.

In case you are unfamiliar with the sad and tragic story of Megan Meier, please visit the many other posts on this website.