Legality of Website Idea

[ARefinedGent]

I'd like to create a website uncovering convicted sex offenders who are using social networking sites. My site would include information on their offense (from the National Sex Offender Registry), and then a link to their Facebook, Myspace, etc. page. I can't think of any reason as to why this would be illegal, but I just want to make sure.

[Dogmatique]

Why do you want to do this?

(And you realize that if their profiles are set to anything remotely along the lines of "you have to be a friend to view this site", you're wasting your time anyway, right?)

One other question - how are you going to verify their identify?

[Conrad Hunter]

Collecting the information is going to take the participation of other people. You do not know what the motivations of those people are. You can not possibly know what information is true or false. Do you know how many people are on facebook? Do you think they are using their real names? How do you think you are going to access all those pages?

The only reason even the police find out is that they seize the offender's computers and find the acounts there.

You would need a lot of content, constantly updated, to get people to even bother with your site, and hence you will be sloppy and be posting lots of fake information. You will likely get people defaming spouses over custody issues and lord knows what else. I expect you will be spending the rest of your daytime hours sitting for depositions and being in court in numerous civil actions for defamation and invasion of privacy where you will be sued into the ground. Ultimately, some court will shut down your website.

[ARefinedGent]

I want to create the site to expose potential predators. I neglected to mention that I'm only going to focus on offenders who were convicted of crimes against children. I don't believe they should be allowed access to a service which gives them the ability to interact with millions of kids with the click of a mouse. And if they are using it, they should at least be monitored. If I were to post this information on my site, it's really no different than the police officers who go door to door notifying citizens that a sex offender has moved into the neighborhood. Facebook is simply a neighborhood of 900 million+.

I've already compiled a list of several hundred offenders I've found on various services. I verify their identity by name and location, and comparing their mugshot photo to the pictures in their profile. If I'm not 100% certain it's the same person, I won't add them. I understand I could get into some legal trouble if I made a mistake and posted up an innocent person, but aside from that, is there anything illegal about my website idea?

I've found over 300 sex offenders on Facebook in the past week alone, simply searching for 2-3 hours a day. I peruse the Sex Offender Registry, and then enter the names into Facebook's search, matching them by location. If they don't have at least one photo I can compare to the mugshot, I don't even bother. There are literally tens of thousands of offenders on the site who can be positively identified with a modicum of detective work.

[Dogmatique]

I want to create the site to expose potential predators.

"Potential"?

I neglected to mention that I'm only going to focus on offenders who were convicted of crimes against children. I don't believe they should be allowed access to a service which gives them the ability to interact with millions of kids with the click of a mouse. And if they are using it, they should at least be monitored. If I were to post this information on my site, it's really no different than the police officers who go door to door notifying citizens that a sex offender has moved into the neighborhood. Facebook is simply a neighborhood of 900 million+.

What you believe is completely and utterly irrelevant.

I've already compiled a list of several hundred offenders I've found on various services. I verify their identity by name and location, and comparing their mugshot photo to the pictures in their profile. If I'm not 100% certain it's the same person, I won't add them. I understand I could get into some legal trouble if I made a mistake and posted up an innocent person, but aside from that, is there anything illegal about my website idea?

I've found over 300 sex offenders on Facebook in the past week alone, simply searching for 2-3 hours a day. I peruse the Sex Offender Registry, and then enter the names into Facebook's search, matching them by location. If they don't have at least one photo I can compare to the mugshot, I don't even bother. There are literally tens of thousands of offenders on the site who can be positively identified with a modicum of detective work.

Seriously - you have fun with that.

Don't come crying to us when you're hit with a hundred or so invasion of privacy and/or defamation lawsuits.

On the other side of this - who made you the parent of all of these kids? If a parent has a minor child, it's up to the PARENT to monitor their internet usage. How about you let them get on with it themselves?

And really - find a new hobby.

[ARefinedGent]

Okay, let me break it down a little for you, since it seems you're not understanding.

Let's say I find John Insertfakename from Reno, Nevada on the Sex Offender Registry. Then I do a quick Facebook search and find out that John Insertfakename of Reno, Nevada does indeed have a Facebook profile. It is absolutely, 100%, indisputably, indubitably John Insertfakename of Reno, Nevada. So I then post his offender information, and a link to his public Facebook on my website. Where is the invasion of privacy, or defamation of character in this scenario?

Your opinions on my website or my hobbies or parental responsibility are completely and utterly irrelevant. I just want legal advice.

[cbg]

Then get thee to to a lawyer and pay him for it. You're going to need to have one on retainer to deal with all the lawsuits you're hit with.

Tell me, what happens when there are two John Insertfakenames living in Reno, Nevada, and you link the wrong one?

[ARefinedGent]

I compare his mugshot photo to his Facebook photos, as well as other information I can glean (date of birth, etc), so that shouldn't be an issue.

Look, I understand that if I linked to the wrong person, then I would be in some legal trouble.

I just want to be sure that, if I don't make any mistakes, I'm not doing anything illegal, as the sex offender registry is public knowledge.

[cbg]

Then pay a lawyer to help you. I doubt if anyone here is going to assist you with such a misguided notion.

[Dogmatique]

I compare his mugshot photo to his Facebook photos, as well as other information I can glean (date of birth, etc), so that shouldn't be an issue.

Look, I understand that if I linked to the wrong person, then I would be in some legal trouble.

I just want to be sure that, if I don't make any mistakes, I'm not doing anything illegal, as the sex offender registry is public knowledge.

You compare...photos?

Do you know how different I look today than most of the pics on my FB would suggest? My personal info - DOB, hometown etc., - are not available to anyone I'm not close to.

Now granted, my real name is not common - in fact it's very uncommon. But what if my name was Susan Smith?

Look - you're obviously intent on going through this incredibly foolish idea. Nothing anyone here says or does is going to deter you. So you just go right ahead.