MSN calls time on chat rooms

Microsoft has axed chat rooms from its UK website in a bid to keep children safe on the internet.

According to MSN UK, it has closed the chat rooms to protect users from unsolicited information such as spam and to safeguard children from inappropriate communication online.

Gillian Kent, director of MSN UK, said: "As a responsible leader we felt it necessary to make these changes because online chat services are increasingly being misused. These changes will help protect MSN users from spam and inappropriate communication."

MSN's decision has been welcomed by children's charities, who hope it will lead other chat providers to "reflect" on their policies.

Chris Atkinson, policy advisor at the NSPCC, said: "This is a welcome step towards protecting children online. NSPCC hopes that this will encourage the internet industry to build on MSN's announcement and continue to work together to improve the internet experience for children."

Nick Truman, head of internet security at BT, said: "MSN have done the right thing. If there is any doubt that a service could be compromised in some way you should not run them, which is why BT does not operate chat rooms."

At the end of last year, Web User readers were shocked to discover sexual messages and pornographic images in the "text message addicts" community group on MSN which had been given a rating of "safe for all ages". Following our notification, MSN changed the settings.

It said the closure of the chat rooms is one of a number of ongoing initiatives to prioritise the safety of children using the service. MSN also offers a child safety site www.msn.co.uk/staysafe. Chat rooms in the US will continue to run on a subscription basis.

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