1:35pm UK, Wednesday September 24, 2003

Computer giant Microsoft is to close the majority of its internet chatrooms to stop paedophiles preying on children.

More controls on chatrooms

It will axe all its chatrooms run by its MSN websites in 34 countries while others will be more tightly monitored or operate on a subscription only basis.

Gillian Kent, MSN UK director, 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."

The move follows a string of disturbing cases in which paedophiles have met young victims in chatrooms and groomed them for sexual abuse.

A recent survey of the way nine to 16-year-olds used the internet also exposed the dangers posed by chatrooms to children.

It found 20% of the age group are regular users of chatrooms, that 25% have requested a meeting with someone they have met in a chatroom and that 10% had actually gone on to meet up with a stranger.

While many children's charities and the Government funded Internet Watch Foundation have welcomed the news, some of MSN's competitors remain sceptical of the companies true motivation.

Freeserve, the UK's largest internet service provider, accuse Microsoft of being unwilling to spend on policing its chatrooms.

A spokesman said: "All this is doing is forcing users to go elsewhere, potentially to non-moderated chatrooms with little or no protection."

On the subject of policing, the company added: "It sounds to us like MSN simply doesn't want to make this investment and we are not sure how this move sits with with their web based Messenger tool which is of course a chat based service." 

MSN will shut its free, unmoderated chat services around the globe on October 14.

A service will continue for free in New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Japan but the contents of the chatrooms will be monitored.

The US will run a subscription-only service which requires users to disclose their credit card details.