Facebook Subpoenaed Over Sex Offenders

At first glance, this looks bad: New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram has subpoenaed Facebook and asked that the social network identify registered sex offenders who have become members.  Depending on what happens, “bad” could become an understatement.

Remember that Facebook may be trying to prove it’s worth $10 to $15 billion; a legal battle in which the company appeared to be defending sex offenders wouldn’t do it a lot of good.

Neither would cooperating with the AG, though, if it turned out that a bunch of unsavory individuals were hanging about.  AllFacebook’s Nick O’Neill recalls, “Everyone remembers all the buzz surrounding MySpace and sexual predators.  It looks like Facebook is now the new site to receive the same negative buzz.”

Facebook’s (potentially) facing a no-win situation.  It has until October 12th to react to the subpoena, so whatever its decision, the social network will have to move quickly.  The best response, in terms of public relations, might be some sort of proactive sweep.  But this solution would require even faster work.

Facebook did not immediately return a call requesting comment, but it’s fair to guess that the company is taking the subpoena seriously.