ATLANTA — Georgia sex offenders could soon be removed from popular online social networking sites.
State Rep. Rob Teilhet introducing a measure Tuesday that would allow the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to send sex offenders' information to Facebook, MySpace and other sites.
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The sites could then remove their information, ban them from creating profiles and notify state authorities of any suspicious activity.
Teilhet, a Smyrna Democrat running for attorney general, said the proposal will help clear the Internet of dangerous child predators.
"The Internet is a powerful social and educational tool for our children. It should not be a danger-zone populated by pedophiles."
A similar proposal has already been adopted in New York and others are being considered in California and Oklahoma.
Channel 2 Action News asked for reaction on its Facebook page to the proposed ban and users posted some heated comments.
One member posted, "Great point. Plus, blocking "registered" offenders might be possible but what about those that haven't been caught yet? Jails aren't big enough to house all the registered and those still not caught. Sad fact of this generation... so much corruption. It's rather sickening."
Another member said, "My question is how do you make sure that they aren't using it? It's so easy to create new screen name, false names, etc."
A member said, "Here's a thought, why not just keep an eye on who your kids are talking to on here? Any parent who allows their child to have a computer in their bedroom should be taken out back and beat with a wet noodle. All the laws in the land will not prevent the sex offenders from getting in here. It's up to us to take personal responsibility for a change and not depend on the government to save us from ourselves."