Judge upholds sex offender Facebook ban

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- A federal judge has upheld an Indiana law banning registered sex offenders from accessing Facebook and other social networking sites used by children.

Judge Tanya Walton Pratt said in an order Friday that the state has a strong interest in protecting children, and that the rest of the Internet remains open to those who have been convicted.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed the class-action suit on behalf of a man who served three years for child exploitation, along with other sex offenders who are restricted by the ban even though they are no longer on probation.

Federal judges have barred similar laws in Nebraska and Louisiana.

ACLU legal director Ken Falk says he's disappointed by Pratt's ruling and is considering an appeal.