The second largest social networking hub announces new safety measures on Thursday to protect children from online predators and inappropriate content.

9 May 2008

SAN FRANCISCO - Social networking hub Facebook announced a string of new safety measures Thursday and said it would join rival MySpace on the Internet Safety Task Force.

The world's second-largest social site said it had reached agreement with every US state except Texas to use technology that verifies users' ages, restricts the ability of users to change their ages on the site and dispatches warnings when a minor may be giving personal information to an adult he or she does not know.

Facebook is also pledging to be aggressive in responding to requests to remove inappropriate content and groups, immediate removal of links to pornographic sites and prominent display of privacy information and safety tips.

Facebook is to add a slew of new safeguards to protect young users from sexual predators and cyber bullies. It will step up efforts to ban convicted sex offenders from the site and find better ways to verify users' ages and identities, said the company's privacy chief Chris Kelly.

The agreement was announced by Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal in a deal along with other state attorneys general around the country.

"This marks another watershed towards social networking safety," he said. "It will protect kids from online predators and inappropriate content."

[dpa / Flickr contributor Jacob Botter / Expatica]