MySpace Still Ticking

Every media observer with a pulse continues to believe that News Corp’s acquisition of MySpace was the most brilliant M&A move of the digital age — and the view from the other side continues to be a lonely watch.

From “MySpace faces call to crackdown on predators“:

Massachusetts on Tuesday called on popular teen social networking Web site MySpace.com to strengthen protection of children against sexual predators, including raising the minimum age for users to 18 from 14.

The arrest on Tuesday of a 27-year-old man in Connecticut on charges of illegal sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl he met through MySpace underlines the risks of the fast-growing Internet site that boasts about 60 million members.

“MySpace has not taken sufficient steps to ensure that the MySpace Web site is a safe place for minors,” Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly said in a letter to MySpace.

He said a three-month investigation found that potential child predators were surfing MySpace seeking chats with potential victims and violent images or content were being posted to bully children.

Sure, it’s just this “banal” space, with hazards akin to riding a bicycle.

I guess we all believe what we need to believe.

But in the meantime, the Attorneys General continue to circle…tick, tick, tick