Of the nation’s 50 state attorneys general, there was just one holdout from the Multi-State Working Group on Social Networking that has been trying to improve MySpace safety measures: Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott.

But as Abbott’s spokesman, Jerry Strickland, made clear in a phone interview today, it’s not considering the attorney general does not support greater online safety for kids; far from it. “Attorney General Abbott decided not sign on to the statement that week,” Strickland said, “because he was concerned that it would be seen as an endorsement of child-protection measures that are adequate. He strongly disagrees with that conclusion.”

Strickland said the Texas AG’s office has been a longtime leader in promoting child safety online, and was one of the first to approach MySpace about the well-publicized problem of sexual predators. Although Abbott did not join the Multi-State Working Group, “It will not prevent him from being an active proponent of online safety,” Strickland said.

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Safety Measures Proposed

In a 12-page document released earlier that week at a New York press conference, the Multi-State Working Group laid out a number of different principles that it believes will improve child safety on MySpace and potentially other social-networking sites as well.

The group called for improved online safety tools, including online identity authentication; design and functionality changes aimed at protecting minors; improved education tools for users, parents and educators; and greater law-enforcement cooperation.

Texas Focuses on Age Verification

Strickland said what is really needed, however, is better age verification of MySpace users, both to prevent underage children from establishing accounts and to protect users under the age of 18. “The main issue we’ve been talking to MySpace by the last two years is the issue of age verification,” Strickland said. “That is the most effective way to adequately safeguard kids on MySpace.”

Strickland acknowledged that many…

Orginal post by Top Tech News