MySpace hopes to pull off a difficult balancing act with its new parental notification software: assuage demands from 33 state attorney generals to make the site safe for teens, while trying not to alienate the teen users who helped make it the most popular social networking site. The WSJ notes that parents who install the monitoring software, code-named “Zephyr,” on their home computers would be able to learn how their kids identify themselves on the site and would provide updates on changes. As a concession to teens, the software doesn’t give access to MySpace users’ personal e-mail or users’ MySpace profile page. MySpace also will notifie users on what information is being monitored. The introduction of the monitoring software may have a silver lining for MySpace: it may enhance the News Corp. site’s ability to attract marketers who have been reluctant to advertise due to safety concerns.
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