As social media activity continues to consume American youth’s online activity, one frightening reality has become clear: Sexual predators are now targeting children in the online platforms they use most—with limited oversight from law enforcement. According to the Dept. of Justice, one in seven youth online have received unwanted sexual solicitations. Furthermore, the number of arrests for online sex crimes tripled between 2000 and 2009, according to a DOJ Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) report.
OffenderWatch released a software technology to keep children and families safe: Safe Virtual Neighborhood (patent pending). Announced during the Crimes Against Children Conference in Dallas, SVN will use OffenderWatch’s current database of registered sex offenders to track their online behavior, such as digital texts, emails, social media and online gaming, and notify parents if the offender communicates with their child. Covington, La.-based OffenderWatch partnered with the office of Sheriff Champagne to build out the project, which is slated for completion by the end of the year.
OffenderWatch’s Safe Virtual Neighborhood is a software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based platform that can be integrated into local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. OffenderWatch plans to release their SVN application later this year to be used on open platforms allowing access to children’s online data. OffenderWatch is currently working with companies such as Android and X-Box, which allow developers to build software that can track registered sex offenders’ engagement on these platforms. The OffenderWatch team is also working to expand its network of participating social media and tech companies to include platforms like Apple, Nintendo and Snapchat, so they may provide a comprehensive safeguard against predator violations.
How it works:
- SVN will allow parents to enroll their children’s phones, email and gaming devices into the system to receive a notification provided by law enforcement if a registered offender texts, emails or plays games with their children.
- Once completed, SVN will be available for law enforcement agencies to adopt as part of their procedure regarding sex offender monitoring and community notification.
