MySpace tightens security

MySpace announced an agreement with 49 state governments to make changes on its popular Web site to protect younger users from online predators. Within the next few months, the site says it will make profiles of all 14- and 15-year-olds permanently private, and will default the profiles of 16- and 17-year olds to private. It also says it will delete registered sex offenders from the site.

Industry watchers welcome the changes, but say they fall short because they don’t address the problem of kids – or predators – lying about their age or identity.