Microsoft's chatrooms fall silent

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Reuters
October 15, 2003, 12:30 BST

Microsoft began the systematic shutdown of its online chatrooms on Tuesday, silencing a once boisterous forum for oddball rants and political observations darkened by spammers and sex predators.

Last month, the world's largest software company stunned the industry and the millions who use its chat rooms by announcing its was closing MSN chat in 28 countries, saying it had become a haven for peddlers of junk "spam'' email and paedophiles.

A company spokesman said on Tuesday that number had been incorrect and MSN chat would in fact be closed in 24 countries.

In place of chat, Microsoft has begun promoting the Instant Messenger service, with which it competes against AOL Time Warner and Yahoo.

It plans to license IM, which allows for more confined online conversations, to business customers and integrate it more closely with its money-losing MSN Web service.

Microsoft declined to comment on the shutdown process, saying each of the affected nations would be switched off one by one.

The move has drawn cheers from some child-protection advocates and law enforcement authorities concerned about unsupervised chat areas where some Web users have been known to prey on young children.

Last week 64-year-old Briton Douglas Lindsell was jailed for five years for using MSN chat rooms to befriend teenage girls, two of whom he tried to lure into his car.

Going it alone?
But the question of whether other brand-conscious rivals would follow suit appears to be a non-starter. Rivals AOL Freeserve and Yahoo all said the Microsoft decision had no bearing on their chat services.

And, on Tuesday -- nearly three weeks after the initial announcement -- Web users greeted the shutdown with a shrug.

"Who cares if they shut them down. They're not the only chats around the world. There's Yahoo, MIRC, with 1000's of servers. Shutting down MSN really wont make any diff(erence),'' read one message on a news group entitled nz.general.

The firm will keep chatrooms open for subscribers in the United States, Japan, Canada who are considered more accountable for their online conduct because their billing details are on record with Microsoft.

The company will continue to run free, moderated chat in Brazil, a company spokesman said.

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