Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: HolyCount on 22 May 2008, 19:44:38
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This was posted on my website hosts newsgroup ..... any Faceparty members on here been ousted ?
A social networking site has deleted most of its users over the age of 36 because it claims older users pose a danger of sex offending. It claims to be forced into the action by the Government, but the part of a law it cites is not yet in force.
Faceparty has deleted what it describes as "a huge number of accounts" from its social networking site in recent weeks. It lists 'over 36 years old' as one of its reasons for deletion.
"We understand that only a minority of older users are sex offenders, but you must understand that we cannot tell which," it says in its explanation of the deletion of accounts.
"New government legislation means we need to check older users on the sex offenders list," says its notice. "This legislation is based upon checking email addresses against a government provided list. Faceparty has never insisted on validated email addresses and can therefore not participate in this new scheme."
A new law was passed earlier this month, the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act, which contains provisions for the Secretary of State to require sex offenders to register their email addresses or other information. That, though, is not currently part of the law and would require a ministerial order to become law.
The law makes no reference to the age of offenders. Neither that law nor any other suggests that people over the age of 36 are more likely to be sex offenders.
"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," says the notice.
Faceparty has defended itself against accusations that it is simply trying to create a younger, more valuable user base for itself.
"Despite malicious rumours spread by a few people on the website, it is not true that we have deleted members due to 'ageism'," its notice said.
Faceparty did not respond to a request for comment. It did say in its notice, though, that the site did have a serious problem with sex offenders. It said that accounts were deleted without notice "because a gang of paedophiles had arrived on the website and had carried out a series of attacks on younger users".
The Government has proposed a system which bears some similarity to that described by Faceparty. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has suggested a future system involving sex offenders registering their email addresses with the Government.
That list would then be made available to social networking sites who could check their users against it in order to help prevent offenders using the networks to contact potential victims.
One part of the new Criminal Justice and Immigration Act allows a Secretary of State to increase the notification requirements of sex offenders. Offenders can already be required to notify details such as their name, address and national insurance number to their local police station.
Those notification requirements could include a person's email address, their passport number, and notice of any foreign travel, the Home Office said in a review of child protection online from 2007.
A spokeswoman for the Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre, a Government-backed centre, said that trying to ban users older than 36 may not be very effective in combating child abuse.
"It's pretty easy to lie about your age," she said. "One of the things we'd like to see all sites do is adopt a Report Abuse mechanism. We think social networking sites are fantastic but providers have a duty of care to children. Children should be able to use these environments but make it easy for them to report abuse."
The Criminal Justice and Immigration Act also made it an offence to possess extreme pornography, a move which had attracted objections from some civil liberties campaigners. That part of the Act is not yet in force.
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that's faceparty, different site to facebook :-?
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Whoops -- so it is -- my mistake --- foggy brain strikes again ! Will amend the post :-[ :-[
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That is very interesting and informative! :y :y
When I am on Facebook it is me in risk of being abused and embarrassed by some of the content placed on there by the younsters not the other way round! ;D ;D ;D
Mind you I am dealing mostly with university students and they are something else! ;D ;D ;D ;D
Anyway I've got nothing to worry about.....I am only 25! ;D ;D ;D ;D
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so faceBOOK has kicked over-36's off?
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I've got a Facebook page, but no-one wants to be friends with me. Even my son won't let me be his friend. And he's blocked me from MSN.
I think it must be my cheerful personality that does it... :( :( :( :'(
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so faceBOOK has kicked over-36's off?
No Face PARTY --- but thin end of the wedge and all that !
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I've got a Facebook page, but no-one wants to be friends with me. Even my son won't let me be his friend. And he's blocked me from MSN.
I think it must be my cheerful personality that does it... :( :( :( :'(
You think that's bad....wait till Saga turn you down :'( :'( I am too young apparently ;D ;D ;D
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I've heard of such sites but don't know what they are or what their point is????
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I've got a Facebook page, but no-one wants to be friends with me. Even my son won't let me be his friend. And he's blocked me from MSN.
I think it must be my cheerful personality that does it... :( :( :( :'(
You think that's bad....wait till Saga turn you down :'( :'( I am too young apparently ;D ;D ;D
I'd be delighted if Saga would leave me alone - they've been bombarding me with crap offers for years. How come their insurance is more expensive than anyone else's?
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I've got a Facebook page, but no-one wants to be friends with me. Even my son won't let me be his friend. And he's blocked me from MSN.
I think it must be my cheerful personality that does it... :( :( :( :'(
i've done the same with my parents ;D
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I've heard of such sites but don't know what they are or what their point is????
They exist for people who have nothing to say to say it to a load of other people who don't listen.
Juvenile isn't the word...
Infantile would be more like it.
I didn't want to be frends with them anyway :'( :'( :'(
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I've got a Facebook page, but no-one wants to be friends with me. Even my son won't let me be his friend. And he's blocked me from MSN.
I think it must be my cheerful personality that does it... :( :( :( :'(
You think that's bad....wait till Saga turn you down :'( :'( I am too young apparently ;D ;D ;D
I'd be delighted if Saga would leave me alone - they've been bombarding me with crap offers for years. How come their insurance is more expensive than anyone else's?
Because they believe that the old will trust them and not ask too many questions; same really as those 'bogus' chappies on the elderly peoples door steps, but at least Saga give them something, and it is legitamate! ;)
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I've got a Facebook page, but no-one wants to be friends with me. Even my son won't let me be his friend. And he's blocked me from MSN.
I think it must be my cheerful personality that does it... :( :( :( :'(
i've done the same with my parents ;D
If truth be told, they're probably very gratefuul.
Insolent young whippersnapper! >:(
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You think that's bad....wait till Saga turn you down :'( :'( I am too young apparently ;D ;D ;D
I'd be delighted if Saga would leave me alone - they've been bombarding me with crap offers for years. How come their insurance is more expensive than anyone else's?
Because they believe that the old will trust them and not ask too many questions; same really as those 'bogus' chappies on the elderly peoples door steps, but at least Saga give them something, and it is legitamate! ;)
You are undoubtedly correct. Old = stupid to many of these companies.
I get loads of absolutely stupid life insurance schemes sent to me - pay £30 per month and if you die, we'll pay out £4000, unless you die soon, 'cos then we'll just give you the premiums back. I'm not very good with money, but I'm not a complete imbecile. >:( >:( >:(
I'm getting worked up - I'll have to go and lie down in the dark...
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My son is 22 & hasn't spoken to me or his Mum since he accused us of having him on a whim. Don't know if he's made his peace with his Mum yet. Tried phoning him resulting in a text saying "If a person or situation's negative then why bother" followed by more of the same, & told not to reply, so i hav'nt. Simple & that's without face sit (sorry site)!!! :P
When he wants something.............................. ::)
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My son is 22 & hasn't spoken to me or his Mum since he accused us of having him on a whim. Don't know if he's made his peace with his Mum yet. Tried phoning him resulting in a text saying "If a person or situation's negative then why bother" followed by more of the same, & told not to reply, so i hav'nt. Simple & that's without face sit (sorry site)!!! :P
When he wants something.............................. ::)
Don't want to be cruel, but I can't stop laughing ;D ;D ;D
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You think that's bad....wait till Saga turn you down :'( :'( I am too young apparently ;D ;D ;D
I'd be delighted if Saga would leave me alone - they've been bombarding me with crap offers for years. How come their insurance is more expensive than anyone else's?
Because they believe that the old will trust them and not ask too many questions; same really as those 'bogus' chappies on the elderly peoples door steps, but at least Saga give them something, and it is legitamate! ;)
You are undoubtedly correct. Old = stupid to many of these companies.
I get loads of absolutely stupid life insurance schemes sent to me - pay £30 per month and if you die, we'll pay out £4000, unless you die soon, 'cos then we'll just give you the premiums back. I'm not very good with money, but I'm not a complete imbecile. >:( >:( >:(
I'm getting worked up - I'll have to go and lie down in the dark...
I am still working out how I can genuinely and legally die and still 'collect'! ::) ::) ::)
I want to enjoy the payout myself, not have some distant, uncaring relative put their fiflthy fingers in my pie! ;D ;D ;)
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My son is 22 & hasn't spoken to me or his Mum since he accused us of having him on a whim. Don't know if he's made his peace with his Mum yet. Tried phoning him resulting in a text saying "If a person or situation's negative then why bother" followed by more of the same, & told not to reply, so i hav'nt. Simple & that's without face sit (sorry site)!!! :P
When he wants something.............................. ::)
Don't want to be cruel, but I can't stop laughing ;D ;D ;D
Not being cruel mate, you have to laugh. All the time i hear nothing i know he's ok, plus he's gifted with his Fathers good looks & attitude! :D
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I've got a Facebook page, but no-one wants to be friends with me. Even my son won't let me be his friend. And he's blocked me from MSN.
I think it must be my cheerful personality that does it... :( :( :( :'(
i've done the same with my parents ;D
If truth be told, they're probably very gratefuul.
Insolent young whippersnapper! >:(
:o ::)