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CNN Live At Daybreak
A Big Move by Microsoft
Aired September 24, 2003 - 05:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And a big move by Microsoft. The company says it's shutting down its Internet chat services in most worldwide markets and limiting it in the U.S. Microsoft says it's a move aimed at protecting users, especially children, from unsolicited online communication.
Let's get more details from CNN's Nick Wrenn, who is live in London -- Nick, what's this about?
NICK WRENN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, this follows many, many headlines in the U.K. and across Europe where headline writers have equated the word chat room with menace. It's become a big problem, not just for Microsoft, but for other providers of these chat rooms. And now I think they've decided to do something about it before they're told to do something about it.
LIN: Well, Nick, how does it work? I mean how is it that a chat room can cause these problems while other things that you do on the Internet wouldn't?
WRENN: What we've had is evidence that young people, children, are being preyed on by pedophiles in these chat rooms. They like to log onto chat rooms to talk to their friends about music or sport or whatever interests them, and pedophiles prey on them, get their e-mail address and get to meet them. And there have been some several high profile cases where children have been abused by pedophiles using chat rooms this way.
Terrific negative publicity for chat rooms and now it's all come to a head.
LIN: So, Nick, do you think it's going to spread to other Internet services, also, this idea?
WRENN: Good question. Microsoft says that it's taken the lead and it's done it for the right reasons. Cynics will say that they've also done it because these chat rooms don't really make Microsoft a great deal of money. We're waiting to hear from their rivals like Yahoo!, like AOL. But, for example, AOL already has the system that Microsoft is going to now do in the States, whereby you're going to need to give your credit card details before you can get onto these chat rooms. And that's going to make the identity process a lot more secure.
LIN: It might be a good thing.
All right, thanks so much. Nick Wrenn live in London.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired September 24, 2003 - 05:23 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And a big move by Microsoft. The company says it's shutting down its Internet chat services in most worldwide markets and limiting it in the U.S. Microsoft says it's a move aimed at protecting users, especially children, from unsolicited online communication.
Let's get more details from CNN's Nick Wrenn, who is live in London -- Nick, what's this about?
NICK WRENN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, this follows many, many headlines in the U.K. and across Europe where headline writers have equated the word chat room with menace. It's become a big problem, not just for Microsoft, but for other providers of these chat rooms. And now I think they've decided to do something about it before they're told to do something about it.
LIN: Well, Nick, how does it work? I mean how is it that a chat room can cause these problems while other things that you do on the Internet wouldn't?
WRENN: What we've had is evidence that young people, children, are being preyed on by pedophiles in these chat rooms. They like to log onto chat rooms to talk to their friends about music or sport or whatever interests them, and pedophiles prey on them, get their e-mail address and get to meet them. And there have been some several high profile cases where children have been abused by pedophiles using chat rooms this way.
Terrific negative publicity for chat rooms and now it's all come to a head.
LIN: So, Nick, do you think it's going to spread to other Internet services, also, this idea?
WRENN: Good question. Microsoft says that it's taken the lead and it's done it for the right reasons. Cynics will say that they've also done it because these chat rooms don't really make Microsoft a great deal of money. We're waiting to hear from their rivals like Yahoo!, like AOL. But, for example, AOL already has the system that Microsoft is going to now do in the States, whereby you're going to need to give your credit card details before you can get onto these chat rooms. And that's going to make the identity process a lot more secure.
LIN: It might be a good thing.
All right, thanks so much. Nick Wrenn live in London.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
