Should the Government Ban Sex Offenders from SN Sites - Assignment Example

While some support the banning of sex offenders from SN sites, this paper takes the stance that these are private entities and the government has no business meddling in their affairs. In addition, court decisions banning sex offenders’ membership in these sites infringe on their First Amendment rights and freedoms (Wynton, p. 1878). Such trends in the judiciary are likely to lead to former offenders’ freedoms of speech being regulated similarly. Hence, U.S. citizens’ freedom of speech and association will be infringed.

There are quite several policies and practices that vulnerable SN site members may enforce to ensure the presence of sex offenders in these sites does not endanger their lives. The Government should not Regulate SN Membership At the forefront in banning sex offenders from SN sites are the federal courts with, reportedly, many law courts banning sex offenders from the internet via SN sites as a requirement for supervised release or probation (Wynton, p. 1861). In today’s SN sites, members post and share quite a lot of personal information.

Due to the private nature of this data, the government spares no effort in its drive to protect vulnerable members from harm emanating from criminals and former offenders who may want to use such data to harm others (Wynton, p. 1877). Thus, restricting membership is a by which the government seeks to protect individuals from threats to lives and personal privacy found in the online world. Nonetheless, given that social network sites are private entities and people join at their will, members must take responsibility to protect their privacy and safety without the government restricting the membership of others.

To this effect, there are several personal strategies that members can implement to ensure they do not fall victim to sex offenders and other criminals. Mostly targeted by sex offenders are children or the youth who must then implement some, if not all of the following practices. First, real-world judgment is the most effective policy to help one avoid being a victim of sex offenders on SN sites, virtual worlds, blogs, and chatrooms. In this regard, the users should not share a lot of private information or post many photos, videos, and comments as these may be used by an offender to target them and hurt their feelings, and reputation.

Besides, reminding users that their actions online have consequences, the government and parents should tell users that what they share should be limited. In essence, online manners should be emphasized. Authorities should also talk to users about their activities online. In fact, for young children, parents must limit access to the sites and their kid’s profiles. Users should also not impersonate others in their online activities as this may make them targeted by sex offenders.

Although a child’s site may have restricted access and highly-set privacy, a broader audience than the parents accesses the profile. Hence, children and other users should be encouraged to consider the language they use online and the videos and pictures posted. Stakeholders such as coaches, teachers, employers, college admissions officers, and the police should also be involved in children’s and youth’s SN profiles and communication.