California Proposed Law: Sex Offenders Must Disclose Web Addresses

The Los Angeles Times‘s political blog “PolitiCal” is reporting that a proposed law in California would require convicted sex offenders to register their web addresses:

Registered sex offenders would be required to disclose to law enforcement their online names, email addresses and social networking sites under a measure moved forward by lawmakers Wednesday to prevent use of the Internet for crimes.

Sen. Sharon Runner (R-Lancaster) said she introduced the legislation after learning that the killer of two San Diego County teenagers had a sexually explicit profile on MySpace using a false name.

“It does give sex offenders reason to think before engaging in predatory practices on the Internet,” Runner said of her legislation, SB 57.

I am not sure this will have the desired affect, because it will probably only drive sex offenders deeper underground, while increasing the cost of law enforcement.  I pose this question for the internet to answer:  Is there a way to keep track of the internet activity of sex offenders that is cost effective, and does not violate the civil rights of sex offender, and most importantly, the civil rights of everyone else who uses the internet safe and legally?  I have a rational fear, one predicted a dozen years ago in Lawrence Lessig’s book “Code“, that the nanny state will take over the internet, and no one will be able to check their facebook page without being tracked by government.  Then again, businesses like Amazon.com is already tracking our every move.  I am sure they already know that this post linked their website.