Steve Jones wrote :
Given the international membership on this list I'd be very interested in hearing reactions to MSN's announcement from outside the U.S. The news stories I heard about it on the radio in the U.S. emphasized spam and porn as being the reasons for the closing. Is that the reporting elsewhere?
Hi, I'm in Singapore temporarily ( somewhat ironically, teaching New Media and International Communication) and the news I have heard/read/seen has emphasised paedophile/spam as the reasons for the Microsoft decision. I agree with other posts that the decision is also likely to be connected to commercial reasons ( Hi, Microsoft lurkers - you can tick that box), I also wonder if there may be legal reasons, as laws in each country in relation to paedophilia and the internet seem to vary - eg we saw recently how Pete Townsend was caught up in a paedophile inquiry as a result of downloading material for 'research', and then there was the famous German case where the CEO ( name??) was prosecuted for trading in pornography - perhaps there are also reasons that Microsoft has identified which are related to the potential for litigation by victims of paedophilia/spam. The US first amendment, after all, provides rare legal protection (?) for pornographers/paedophiles and other pests ( netmarketers). Do any legal experts have a view on this? Collette Snowden University of South Australia --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search