Foreign

One missing underscore in a Skyrim-themed username put an innocent Nova Scotia man in prison for 18 months. A 2018 child-luring investigation, which began in Madison, Wisconsin, and eventually extended to Halifax, Canada, was based on a false premise. Police were looking for a man using the Kik messaging service under the name “fus__ro_dah” (two underscores after “fus”), but they

Have you googled your name recently? You might be shocked by what you find. In addition to the FDLE website, you’ll find dozens of “registries” listing your sex offender status. Some are operated by local police, some by news stations, some by private entities seeking to profit, and many by extortionists who list the embarrassing information and then charge you

A recent report out of Scotland shows that the United Kingdom is beginning to face a reality that the United States has been struggling with for decades: once governments expand registries and surveillance systems for people convicted of sex offenses, the number of individuals under those systems steadily grows—and communities must eventually confront the question of where those people are

In a recent decision examining Canada’s sex offender registry framework, an Ontario judge did something remarkably simple — he asked for proof. Specifically, he looked for concrete examples showing that the registry had actually helped police solve time-sensitive crimes in the 25 years since its creation. And what did he find? Nothing. “No example was provided of the registry assisting

A tragic case in the UK has prompted a proposal that would require registered sex offenders to notify police if they or their partner become pregnant — with failure to do so potentially resulting in prison. While no one disputes the heartbreaking nature of the underlying case*, criminalizing the failure to report a pregnancy represents a dramatic and troubling expansion