LuminousVoid

Wired news found an active sex predator on MySpace. But I think their headline — that this predator was “caught by code” — is a bit misleading. This is important because it misleads about the “magic” of data matching.

Wired wrote some code to match the information in the national sex offender database — first and last name, and zip code (within 5 miles) — with profiles on MySpace. This gave them “vast numbers of false or unverifiable matches.” It took months of part time work, looking at each profile, to figure out which were actual predators still using the site for their predation. Some profiles were dormant. Some were innocent. One lead to an arrest.

I’d say it was this work — including the sting — not “code” that found that predator. The predator was not caught by code. “Vast numbers of false or unverifiable” matches were caught by code.

The DC bar foundation is offering up to $12,000 a year in loan repayment for poverty lawyers. Full funding of the program is contingent upon passage of a bill in DC council, but you can go ahead and apply now. The application deadline is Nov 15th.

Your organization must be approved by the Bar foudation, and it must provide legal services to the District’s poor and underserved.
More from the guidelines  and application. (both in PDF).