New York - New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has announced that his office has subpoenaed online social network Facebook, as part of an investigation into the site's safety and privacy measures.

The investigation included creating fake profiles for underage users, which received numerous sexual solicitations from adults.

The Office of the Attorney General said that when its undercover investigators lodged complaints with Facebook, posing as both underage users and their parents, the company "in many instances ignored the complaints and took no action against the reported sexual predators."

"My office is concerned that Facebook's promise of a safe website is not consistent with its performance in policing its site and responding to complaints," said Cuomo.

"Parents have a right to know what their children will encounter on a website that is aggressively marketed as safe."

Along with Cuomo, the safety of underage users on Facebook and other social networks is also being looked into by the Attorneys General of Connecticut, North Carolina and Ohio.

A Facebook spokesperson told Reuters the company is aware of the subpoena and is preparing a statement.

Related Links:
http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2007/sep/sep24a_07.html

http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2007/sep/Facebook%20ltr.pdf (PDF)

http://tinyurl.com/ys53k5 (Reuters)