Online Predator Protection Bill Gains Steam

Tex. Attorney Gen. Greg Abbott (R), WiredSafety.org Exec. Dir. Parry Aftab, Bucks County, Pa. Assistant Dist. Attorney David Zellis and Facebook.com Vp Chris Kelly will testify. National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s Michelle Collins, Pew Internet & American Life Project researcher Amanda Lenhart, Young Adult Library Services Assn. Exec. Dir. Beth Yoke and Fairfax County Public Schools Knowledge Asset Management Dir. Ted Davis will also appear before Chmn. Upton’s (R-Mich.) subcommittee.

Fitzpatrick, who isn’t a member of the subcommittee, will be present for the hearing, he told us Mon. He said he was hoping for hearty debate on the merits of the bill and “the challenges we face as parents and as a nation with the proliferation of social networking sites and they dangers they pose to children.” The freshman lawmaker has repeatedly expressed concerns about social networking sites, which Conn. Attorney Gen. Richard Blumenthal (D) termed “a sexual predator’s dream and a parent’s worst nightmare.” Although sites like MySpace.com and Facebook.com have useful applications, they're becoming a “virtual hunting ground” for those seeking sex with children, Fitzpatrick said. Kids’ detailed personal information -- including last name, address, phone number, school and schedule -- can be found by trolling those sites, said.

The issue hits close to home for Fitzpatrick. He said he has heard from constituents who worry about adult offenders finding young victims through social networking sites, and some criminal cases have played out in his district, he told us. Fitzpatrick is father of 6 young children, though none have profiles on social networking sites. His daughters used to maintain pages on MySpace but they were taken down after the problem gained prominence through high-profile incidents around the country and Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator” series, he said. “I share the concerns of my neighbors and constituents and I'm acting on it,” Fitzpatrick said.

There are natural synergies between HR-5319 and other legislative proposals on children’s online safety, he said. There could be a companion bill introduced in the Senate soon, he hinted. Meanwhile, Fitzpatrick is considering introducing another measure in the House to compliment one from Sen. Kerry (D-Mass.) that would provide a private right of action for children drawn into sex. He cited as inspiration Masha Allen, whose father posted hundreds of explicit images of her online. Under such a law, Allen would be able to sue Internet firms that host and profit from those illegal images, he said. The Senate version was included as an amendment in the Senate telecom reform bill, which passed the Commerce Committee last month, a Kerry spokeswoman said.

Protecting children on the Internet isn’t a new issue for Fitzpatrick. He worked with Rep. Johnson (R-Conn.) to secure funding to track down online child predators during consideration of a 2007 appropriations bill last month. The 2 offered an amendment to provide $3.3 million for the FBI’s Innocent Images Task Force (IITF), an office that combats and prosecutes Web predators. The amendment passed by voice vote. “Law enforcement needs every tool available to combat the spread of child predators on the Internet,” Fitzpatrick said. The FBI needs the flexibility to uncover Web offenders wherever they hide, he said. The IITF “serves as the anchor for the FBI’s efforts and it must be properly funded.”

IITF’s field agents are overburdened by the mounting caseload, Fitzpatrick said. The FBI has seen a 2,026% increase the past decade, he said. IITF has 2,400 cases open at any given time, he said. The amendment boosted the office’s funding 10% from the previous year’s level. When Fitzpatrick’s amount was added to the $5 million increase already offered in the legislation, total funding climbed 25%.