Names Held Hostage Online, Class Claims
Names Held Hostage Online, Class Claims
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (CN) - Operators of the website Sexoffenderin.com charge people to remove false information about them from its Internet postings, a class action claims in Missouri.
Lead plaintiff Terracazeno Talbert sued the John or Jane Doe owner of Sexoffenderin.com, in Jackson County Circuit Court.
Talbert says in the complaint that Sexoffenderin.com is a self-proclaimed national sex offender registry, though it is not affiliated with federal government or any other agency.
Users can search by name or by state and see photos and profile pages which publish alleged sex offenders' addresses, birth date and offenses, Talbert says.
"The website encourages viewers to report erroneous information' that may be contained on the website," the complaint states.
But he says: "Defendant Doe refuses to remove unsubstantiated, erroneous information from the website or profile pages contained in the directory unless a user pays for such removal."
Talbert claims the website has a link to request removal of information, but to do so costs $79 to $299. For $79 the information will be removed within 45 days; for $99 within 25 days; for $199 within six days; and for $299 within 24 hours, according to the complaint.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/06/21/58721.htm