Japan's leading social networking site, mixi, has suspended its new search service in the face of growing concerns about violations of privacy.
Mixi, which boasts around 22 million subscribers in Japan, halted the service on Thursday due to a number of complaints by users.
The search service, launched on Tuesday, allows users to find out whether someone else is also a mixi user by merely entering the person's e-mail address.
But the operator of the site was flooded with complaints that third parties are abusing the service by entering whatever e-mail addresses are available on the Internet.
The operator says it will resume the service after modifying it to prevent abuse.
Similar services have already been introduced by major social networking sites overseas.
2010年12月4日土曜日
2010年2月18日木曜日
Sex crimes via social networking sites increase
A government survey shows that more than twice as many underage people became victims of sex-related crimes through social networking sites and blogs than through dating sites last year.
The National Police Agency says the number of people under the age of 18 who became victims of such crimes in 2009 through social networking sites and blogs was 1,136, up 43 percent from the previous year. The agency says the figure for dating websites was 453, down 37 percent.
Among those involved in crimes through social networking sites and blogs, 727 were victims in obscenity cases, while 335 were involved in either child prostitution or pornography.
Last May, a junior high school girl student in Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan, was stabbed in the neck by a high school boy whom she'd met through a social networking site.
The agency is calling on operators of such sites to step up anti-crime efforts, including restricting access by people under 18 and deleting harmful messages.
The National Police Agency says the number of people under the age of 18 who became victims of such crimes in 2009 through social networking sites and blogs was 1,136, up 43 percent from the previous year. The agency says the figure for dating websites was 453, down 37 percent.
Among those involved in crimes through social networking sites and blogs, 727 were victims in obscenity cases, while 335 were involved in either child prostitution or pornography.
Last May, a junior high school girl student in Kagawa Prefecture, western Japan, was stabbed in the neck by a high school boy whom she'd met through a social networking site.
The agency is calling on operators of such sites to step up anti-crime efforts, including restricting access by people under 18 and deleting harmful messages.
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