MSN, Microsoft's internet service, is closing all its online chat rooms in the UK, purportedly to protect children from paedophiles. Scott Parker, associate editor of Internet Magazine, talks to Times Online about the company's motives and whether the action will help

Are Microsoft's motives altruistic?

It is easy to be very cynical about Microsoft, but I do not think they are being altruistic in the slightest with this decision.

It is more about protecting themselves from any legal challenges if anything untoward happens as a result of what goes on in their chat rooms. This decision also helps them to save on the costs of having to monitor these chat rooms.

I can understand Microsoft's actions from that point of view. Fairly or unfairly, Microsoft is a big target, but, in essence, it is a PR stunt.

Will this keep children safe?

It simply will not stop children using chat rooms online.

If they are not chatting through MSN, they will simply use other chat rooms. There are thousands of chat rooms all around the world.

There are many sites where you can download software free of charge and have open chat with whoever you like. At least with MSN there was some kind of monitoring, but there are lots of unmonitored sites that children will use instead.

So, in many ways, Microsoft's decision is worse news for children.

Even if every internet chat provider in the UK closed down, there are plenty of sites that children can access all over the world which are not governed by any kind of law.

The one thing that Microsoft's decision has done is raise awareness about the dangers of chat rooms.

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