A UK postman admitted to using Facebook and Bebo to abuse “hundreds” of children in a case that included 27 sexual abuse charges.
Michael Williams, a 28-year-old from Cornwall, used the sites to pursue and friend children, sometimes using false names and posing as a teenager, according to the BBC. With some of the victims, he used the sites to arrange meetings.
The case comes at a time when social network users have grown concerned about their privacy while on such sites. In fact, 71% of 18-29 year olds limit the information they share with others on social networks, according to a Pew Research report.
Williams’s charges included “inciting sexual activity, grooming and distributing indecent images” and more. Police worry that many more children have been abused and have yet to come forward because he used social sites to approach “hundreds.” Williams will be sentenced in three months after psychiatric reports are complete.
How do you think social networking sites can prevent such atrocities from occurring?
[img credit: lizzardo]
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Tags: bebo, cornwall, facebook, Pew report, social networking privacy, uk