Microsoft MSN To Shut Down Or Limit Chat Services
POSTED: 7:26 a.m. EDT September 24, 2003
SEATTLE -- It's certainly one way to make sure people don't use chat rooms to solicit children -- shut the chat rooms down. SURVEY
Microsoft is shutting down Internet chat services in most of its markets around the world. MSN will still offer chat services to users in the U.S., Canada, Japan and Brazil, but users must subscribe to at least one other paid MSN service. Microsoft has announced a move aimed at improving its profit picture and protecting kids from Internet predators.
Microsoft is shutting down Internet chat services in most of its markets around the world and limiting the service in the United States.
The changes take effect Oct. 14.
The service is being shut down in European, Latin American and Asian markets. MSN will still offer chat services to users in the United States, Canada, Japan and Brazil, but users will be required to subscribe to at least one other paid MSN service.
The services will be limited in those lands to help cut down the number of adults who try to pick up kids through online discussions.
A spokeswoman says the change will help curb inappropriate use of its sites, including pornographic spam. A business analyst says it also will enable Microsoft to shed some free users who are a drag on profits.
Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
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MSN TO CLOSE OPERATIONS
I think most people who have been using the new freeserve chat room will have noticed the message about the 'add a chat to my website' feature being removed - well I could have sworn it said sometime in March but it looks like the revised that date because the chatroom feature seems to have been disabled (i cannot open the LABN link on the homepage)
So it looks like we need to find a new chatroom host guys :? AGAIN!