<p>Facebook has updated its privacy settings to make it easier for users to control what is shown on their pages.(Photo: Joerg Koch, AP)Story HighlightsInd. law banned registered sex offenders from accessing social networking sites accessible by kids7th U.S. Circuit of Appeals said "blanket ban" was too broad and didn't protect childrenFederal judges have barred similar laws in Nebraska and Louisiana</p><p>INDIANAPOLIS An Indiana law barring most registered sex offenders from using social-networking sites such as Facebook and other online interaction is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.</p><p>The 7th U.S. Circuit of Appeals in Chicago overturned a decision from U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt here that had upheld the law, which restricts the access because children also can use the sites. The appeals court judges said the "blanket ban" was too broad and didn't protect children.</p><p>"We conclude that the Indiana law is not narrowly tailored to serve the state's interest," the judges said in a 20-page decision. "It broadly prohibits substantial protected speech rather than specifically targeting the evil of improper communication to minors."</p><p><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/23/sex-offender-facebook-media/1858517/">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/23/facebook-sex-offenders_n_2536097.html">Facebook Sex Offenders Ban Ruled Unconstitutional By Indiana Court</a> (Huffington Post)</p><p><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/technolog/appeals-court-overturns-ban-sex-offenders-using-facebook-1C8087396">Appeals court overturns ban on sex offenders using Facebook</a> (NBCNews.com)</p><p><a href="http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/01/court-keeps-sex-offenders-facebook-citing-free-speech/61323/">Court Keeps Sex Offenders on Facebook, Citing Free Speech</a> (The Atlantic Wire)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dtGi_j7-AA8-3KMYmWziiQkqthfkM&ned=us">309 additional articles.</a></p>