[Sticks]

MSN has decided to shut down all its chat rooms from 14th October as a "child protection" measure. More like a litigation prevention measure and an attack on free speech

I did read that MSN instant messanger, which a lot of us use, would still be around, but for how long

This all reminds me of the poem

First They Came for the Jews

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

With apologies to Pastor Martin Niemöller

First they went for the AOL chat rooms
and I did not speak out as I did not use them

Then they went for the MSN Chat Rooms
and I did not speak out as I did not use them

Then they came for the IRC
and I did not speak out as I did not use IRC

Then they came for this forum which I use
And there was no one left to speak for me

[Romantic Old Bird]

I don't think this forum will close whilst there are old gasbags like you and me around Sticks.

OK, I have been a bit preoccupied by long commuting and catching up for a few days, but normality will return.

As for the chat rooms, well the nobility you infer is perhaps misplaced. I have looked into a few of them and there have been some people on there who frankly need professional help.

I am sure there are mostly decent folk who inhabit them, but it is very much open to abuse and subterfuge. I think msn are being responsible, and I expect yahoo, aol etc to follow suit.

As for forums, they are at least moderated. As an adult, I have taken one or two chances, which has directly led to me meeting Maggie, Peachy, Boris, Lesley, Miriam, Janette, Kaz, Wildchild, Steveo, Mark, Susie-Q, Busy Bee, James, and this other chap.....YOU! (Apols to anyone I missed).

I have lived to tell the tale, but of course I will never quite recover.

[peachy]

Neither will we ROB, old bean. But with years of therapy we may recover some of our faculties in time

[Sticks]

it is said the loss of chatrooms must be a good thing to protect the children.

Suppose we have a sequence like this:

Children swap text messages with each other, so abusers will try and get what they want by sending text messages. Right lets ban all text messaging, purely to protect children from these scum, you can not argue with that.

abusers use e-mail - E-mail banned

abusers hang about in parks - Parks closed to prevent these people attacking children. Only a abusers will argue against that.

abusers use the internet to download kiddie porn. In order to protect the children the internet is to be outlawed

The total abolishion of the internet must be a good thing, if it prevents one child being abused.

"Oh dear we have lost an avenue for freedom speech" some one says.

They must have something to hide as the loss of an avenue of freedom of speech is a small price to pay to protect the children.

How can you argue against stopping the abusers molesting the children?

And so it goes on

[i]Little by little the spectre of totalitarian dictatorship creeps upon us all[i]

[BusyBee]

Neither will we ROB, old bean. But with years of therapy we may recover some of our faculties in time

Sorry Peachy - I think for some of us the time for therapy has well passed!!! I know OH has given up on me

To be serious though - I have to disagree with Sticks. In my job we come across children who have been abused very often and as far as I am concerned anything that will give protection to vulnerable children is good. Many of these chat rooms have not been monitored and have led to 'sick' people being able to take advantage of youngsters. To my mind they deserve to have the book thrown at them when they are caught, but unfortunately it rarely happens so these people will just find other ways to make contact. Very sad world we live in.

[Sticks]

Freeserve have taken a different view to MSN (See this Link)

People are falling into a trap here. Child protection, which no decent person can disagree with, is being cynicaly used as an excuse to close up an avenue of free speech.

Governments would like these venues to be shut, and the excuse of "protecting the children" is such a powerfuly emotive one that few will voice decent.

For the record I have never visited an MSN chatroom to my knowledge, however if chatrooms are shut down, then this sets a dangerous precedent for democracy and the free society.