MySpace deletes convicted sex offender profiles

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Popular online social network MySpace says it has identified, removed and blocked "a few thousand" user profiles of convicted sex offenders among its 175 million profiles on its service as part a previously announced program to protect its youth members from adult predators.

The action comes a day after eight U.S. attorneys general demanded the News Corp.-owned company hand over the offenders' names and addresses and to delete their profiles.

"While numerous Attorneys General have asked us to turn the names of the sexual predators over to them, we are, unfortunately, prohibited by federal and state laws from doing so," MySpace Chief Security Officer Hemanshu Nigam said in a statement.