A new law in Louisiana that will be effective August 1 will require sex offenders to reveal their criminal status on Facebook.
Republican State Representative Jeff Thompson seems to think that his new law will provide additional protection for the community. Apparently, Facebook, Myspace, and other social networks have been removing sex offenders from their sites for quite some time. This law would serve as a safety net for what the social networks don’t or can’t catch.
Not to defend the sex offenders, but the demands are pretty rigorous.
The law states that sex offenders and child predators “shall include in his profile for the networking website an indication that he is a sex offender or child predator and shall include notice of the crime for which he was convicted, the jurisdiction of conviction, a description of his physical characteristics… and his residential address.”
Punishment for violation seems intent on getting the point across.
Violators of the new law could face imprisonment with hard labor for a term between two and 10 years without parole and a fine up to $1,000. A second conviction carries a maximum penalty of imprisonment with hard labor for a term between five and 20 years without parole and a fine up to $3,000.
Still no chance this keeps sex offenders off the internets.
