The Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act or E-STOP will require paroled sex-offenders to submit their online identities and e-mail addresses to the State Division of Criminal Justice Services as late as 10 days after they have been created.

In other words, social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook will be granted direct access to the registry and that will enable them to deny access to sex-offenders, banning them from the site and avoiding they get in touch with underage users.

On the same note, sex-offenders who have “used the Internet to commit their offense, victimized a minor or who have been determined to be a high risk for committing a new offense” will be strictly denied access to such sites and moreover, any unannounced modification of their e-mail address will be considered a parole violation and will be punished accordingly.

The recent bill aims at Level 3 sex-offenders, who are considered the most dangerous and who are likely to commit another sex crime, as well as at sex-offenders who committed sex crimes against minors, who will be banned from online communication with minors and from social networking sites in general.

“The Internet is great and it affords us all sorts of opportunities and promise," Cuomo said at a press conference. "But there are also perils on the Internet. And young children who have great facility with the Internet but still a certain level of naiveté are in a position of danger."

Both Facebook and MySpace privacy and security representatives agreed to the necessity of such a bill, as it will add to their own efforts so far to keep the "online predators”, how they have been called, from doing any harm and altering the virtual environment.