This issue began when a friend was kicked off MySpace for supporting Israel and condemning Islamofascism. While our position is that the proper response to hate speech is not censorship but ridicule and condemnation, MySpace.com’s action required us to ask it to apply whatever standards it was using to cartoons of long-nosed Jews as rattlesnakes and spiders. The response has been inaction, as well as non-relevant replies from moderators who now pretend not to understand English.

Here is the material in question.

Here are the complaints that were sent to MySpace more than a month ago (16 August, 2007).

This was the first response we got from MySpace, on August 27.

Hello,

Thank you for reporting inappropriate content. Based on our Terms of Service, the incident in question is within our guidelines. If you have not already done so, please take the time to familiarize yourself with our Terms of Service.

Nevertheless, we thank you for your support in helping to keep MySpace a safe, clean and fun community.

MySpace.com

Upon pressing the complaint further, we got the following reply from imposterreport “at” myspace.com

Hello,

Please send the link/URL of the profile in question. The URL is the profile’s web address. It is found after ‘http://’ towards the top of your browser, in the web address bar. The URL most likely looks like one of the following ‘www.myspace.com/example’ or ‘ http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=0000000&Mytoken=984C708D-C554-1446-8130110631E7300053636285′ or
something similar.
Thank you,
MySpace.com
1024

To which we replied,

It’s not a PROFILE, it’s a posting in a discussion thread. Actually, there are at least two. And so far, I seem to be running around in circles with you people pretending to not understand. First, you told me the following content was within your guidelines. Then you lied to me about deleting it.

http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=messageboard.viewThread&entryID=3072198&adTopicID=16&categoryID=70&IsSticky=0
&Mytoken=BE522AEF-96B2-405D-A6F4E8F0A507A37E739728

http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=messageboard.viewThread&entryID=3170647&adTopicID=16&categoryID=70&IsSticky=0
&Mytoken=5A651E07-9607-409F-AF8CC34BAEB0902A59991496

Maybe what I really need to do is print it out and send it to News Corporation’s Board of Directors and Investor Relations Department, and see how they think it reflects on MySpace.com’s public image. That is what I will do if I continue to get the runaround, or no response at all.

Now, any of our readers can plug these links into their browsers. The first one will (as of 23 September) display the anti-Semitic cartoons shown above. The second shows, however, that user “Muthafuckin Kitty,” the author of the hate speech that is quoted (for condemnation on the same page) appears to have been removed. We sent MySpace the following to clarify this:

Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 11:20 PM
To: Imposter Report
Subject: Re: MySpace - Deleted

Correction:
Muthafuckin Kitty, the originator of the anti-Semitic hate speech at the following URL, is QUOTED there but seems to be GONE.
http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=messageboard.viewThread&groupID=0&page=0&EntryID=3170647&CategoryID=70
&get=1&adTopicId=16&keyword=politics&xargstringp=&xargstringn=&lastpagesent=1&Mytoken=FDD57A5C-F0C5-4376-8C9930530F4C41BE42119933

However, all the anti-Semitic cartoons from Shawn Daddy and Memo are still online at
http://forum.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=messageboard.viewThread&en
tryID=3072198&adTopicID=16&categoryID=70&IsSticky=0&Mytoken=BE522AEF-96B
2-405D-A6F4E8F0A507A37E739728

We assembled the latter link and plugged it in to make sure it works. It does display the anti-Semitic cartoons in question. We don’t understand, and we ask anyone else what they don’t understand, is unclear or ambigious about “all the anti-Semitic cartoons from Shawn Daddy and Memo are still online” with a link being given for verification. However, all of a sudden, MySpace’s moderators no savvy English, as shown by this reply. @ is replaced by “at” to prevent harvesting by spam software.

From - Sat Sep 22 16:24:56 2007
X-UIDL: 9420-1156627068
X-Mozilla-Status: 0010
X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000
Return-path: imposterreport “at” support.myspace.com
Received: from mail.myspace.com ([216.205.243.66]) by vms169121.mailsrvcs.net
(Sun Java System Messaging Server 6.2-6.01 (built Apr 3 2006))
with ESMTP id for
[our E-mail address]; Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:36:21 -0500 (CDT)
Received: from exchange2.MSCORP.COM ([10.129.7.103])
by mail.myspace.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.3959); Sat,
22 Sep 2007 12:36:23 -0700
Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 12:36:23 -0700
From: “Imposter Report”
Subject: RE: MySpace - Deleted
In-reply-to:
X-Originating-IP: [216.205.243.66]
To: [our E-mail address]
Message-id:
MIME-version: 1.0
X-MIMEOLE: Produced By Microsoft Exchange V6.5
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable
Content-class: urn:content-classes:message
Thread-topic: MySpace - Deleted
Thread-index: Acf7TiEoEgQhgS5tTVSlYfzj9TMlOgCAbm/g
X-MS-Has-Attach:
X-MS-TNEF-Correlator:
References:
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 22 Sep 2007 19:36:23.0486 (UTC)
FILETIME=[DBC73DE0:01C7FD4F]

Hello,
In order to verify identity, we require that the party in question sends us a salute. This means we will need an image of them holding a hand written sign that says ‘MySpace.com’ and if they are a MySpace.com user, their Friend ID (the number between ID= and &mytoken in the URL), or if they are not a MySpace.com user, the email address that they will be sending their response from. The salute can either be sent as an email attachment or a link to where it is uploaded. Please include in the URLs of any accounts that need to be removed that are stealing the identity of the individual. After we receive the salute, we can then remove any profiles in question.
Thank you,
MySpace.com

We have no idea what this has to do with the very clearly stated issue in our E-mail: anti-Semitic cartoons posted on a MySpace Web page. Since we are obviously getting the runaround, though, the thing to do is to have a nice public discussion of the issue where parents who are concerned about Internet safety, as well as News Corporation’s stockholders, can see it. At present, it seems to us that MySpace.com’s Safety Tips are totally meaningless.

# Harassment, hate speech and inappropriate content should be reported.

We did, as documented extensively above. As of today (September 23) clicking on this link will show that the long-nosed Jewish heads on rattlesnake and spider bodies are still there. And so, apparently, is this delightful little MySpace.com group. When we saw the “South Park” animation at the top (and a user who uses South Park’s “Timmy” as an avatar), we thought at first that it was a joke, and we were prepared to laugh along with it. However, the accompanying text and messages are far from funny.

Through the years i hatted the Jews, they were messing up our ecomeny and causeing lots of deaths. They are gretty hartless bastereds! Do not trust them. Join us and help put an end to the Jewish race!

Here is Hitler(TM)’s profile. The swastika suggests that he is quite serious, although the appearance of what look like flames in the background could imply that Hitler is supposed to be in Hell.

The topic Jews vs Devils elaborates,

[Hitler] Posted: Nov 16, 2006 9:46 AM
What are the difference of Jews and Devils? Well is there? Well lets go through what they have in common. Jews have big noses and so do devils. They both christ and want to kill him. They both have berads, and bushey eye brells. They are responcible for the many problems in this world. Right now the Muslems are mad at the Jews and the stupid Americans are in iraq trying to bomb them so they will stop bombig them Jews. Thats not what is going to happen. What is going to happen is that WWIII is going to start and the world as we know it will be gone. God damn Americans made me killl my self. The Jews are couseing WWIII to come. And who wants to take over the world? Me! Satan! So how come Satan doesent come to Earth and do it? Well i got news for you! Satan is here! He roms Heaven and Earth! The Jews are the Antihcirst that are going to help him! John warned you. Read the fucking Bible! What do you guys think?

[Sennett’s Back To Germany] Posted: Nov 16, 2006 10:43 AM
If America wasn’t run by the Jews then we would be the sword that stops them. Jews versus Devils? Same thing, history will show you that.

[Mokimon [MCRmy/M.A.D] ] Posted: Apr 9, 2007 2:42 PM
THERE IS A TINY PATHETIC LITTLE JEW IN MY SCHOOL. I WILL PERSONALLY MAKE SURE HE DIES IN A LITTLE GODDAMN JEWHOLE, YES A JEW HOLE. HE MAKES ME SO DAMN PISSED OFF. DIE DIE DIE DIE.

We are familiar with South Park’s humor, which makes fun of absolutely everybody ranging from Jews and Christians (Jesus has his own talk show) to Canadians and Satan. The above is not South Park humor, nor does it seem very funny at all.

Now, while MySpace.com’s moderators may suddenly pretend not to understand English, or to reply with an extra hoop one must jump through to report this sort of thing, we are sure that Napster and DirecTV (and we also have a screenshot of a Healthy Choice banner ad) savvy the possible negative implications of having their banner ads on top of this stuff. This may be more effective in fixing the problem than whatever the Anti-Defamation League (to which we reported the anti-Semitic cartoons although not the “down with the Jews” group) is doing, if anything.