Facebook ordered to remove sex offender page

Belfast, Northern Ireland (CNN) -- A convicted sex offender won a landmark legal ruling Friday that ordered Facebook to take down a page set up to monitor pedophiles in Northern Ireland.
The case was brought in Belfast by a man who had been sentenced to six years in prison for a string of crimes against children more than two decades ago.
He claimed he faced being attacked or burned out of his rented accommodation after his photograph and threatening comments were posted on the social networking site.
A Belfast High Court judge Friday ruled that some of the contents on the Facebook page -- 'Keeping Our Kids Safe From Predators' -- amounted to harassment of the man and risked infringing on his human rights.
The judge said the man -- who can't be identified -- had already been punished for his sex offenses "in accordance with the rule of law."
The judge added: "He has been punished by incarceration and he is subject to substantial daily restrictions on his lifestyle."
Facebook removed the man's photograph and corresponding comments, but lawyers for the company argued in court that it was neither necessary nor proportionate to remove a page used by 4,000 people. The sex offender continued to seek the closing of the page and the disclosure of the identity or identities of those who set up and ran it.
Facebook was given 72 hours to remove the page, and it was taken down by Friday afternoon. However, a new page with a similar name has since appeared on the site.



I'm curious to know what you think about this. I feel that if you commit a sex crime against a child- you've lost your privilege to remain anonymous. Six years for molesting multiple children? Sorry buddy, in my opinion, your name and picture deserves to plastered everywhere.

Idc how long ago it was if you committed crimes against children then people have a right to know. People have the right to know who these people are in order to protect their children. I don't agree with them posting hate comments on the page but an informative page that says where they live, their crimes and a picture isn't a bad thing.

They have a database for registered sex offenders that shows their mugshot, address & what they were convicted of so I don't see anything wrong with the fb page. As long as the page had what there crime was because you can get a sex offender charge for urinating in public. Maybe its different in ireland

idgaf if he did his "time for the crime" once a child molester or whatever.. you always are, its always on your mind.. smurf that smurf. he should not be annonymous

While the comments made toward him were highly unnecessary, i believe an informative page is a good idea. Too bad they can't stop people from commenting.

Quoting Chelsea Dawns Mama:" While the comments made toward him were highly unnecessary, i believe an informative page is a good idea. Too bad they can't stop people from commenting."

i have no self pity for this guy, people should be able to say whatever mean smurf to him.

until they make a registry for murderers and any other violent crimes i disagree with the sex offender registry and the facebook pages to ban them

I think THREATENING comments should be deleted, yes. If someone says "I'm going to burn your house down", yes, that needs to be removed, but a general comment on how sick, twisted, disgusting this man is, that has the right to stay.

Quoting PeanutButter*HerbalifeLad:" until they make a registry for murderers and any other violent crimes i disagree with the sex offender registry and the facebook pages to ban them"

Murderers are almost always incarcerated 25+ to life, so a registry would be redundant when anyone can easily search prison/crime records; murders are also highly publicized so a killer's name is also easily searchable.

And what do you mean by violent crimes? Like beating someone up? You want to have a registry for people who get into fights?

Do they have a sex offender registry in Ireland?

Yes they have registry and I ll play devil advacate. He was going to the shrink, lived no where near schools

Quoting Captain Lauren + ?:" Yes they have registry and I ll play devil advacate. He was going to the shrink, lived no where near schools"

That's great but it doesn't negate the fact he is a sex offender against children..

Quoting bbbt:" That's great but it doesn't negate the fact he is a sex offender against children.."

But it does show he reached out to a shrink for help. Yeah he smurfed up, but he was trying to work on himself. He didn't deserve death threats cuz he smurfed up.

If they already have a registry, it's not the place of citizens to take vigilante justice into their own hands and track him.

This is coming from someone who was molested as a child. I think sex offenses are disgusting and vile, but harassment is harassment. The legal system has a registry for a reason, and it's easy to go on there and see exactly whose on the list.

Quoting Chelsea Dawns Mama:" But it does show he reached out to a shrink for help. Yeah he smurfed up, but he was trying to work on himself. He didn't deserve death threats cuz he smurfed up."

I don't think he deserves to be threatened or attacked.

And I really don't think molesting multiple children is as simple as "smurfing up."