Should yahoo close down user created chat rooms?

[Ems]

When I first read this article, I thought it should have been obvious for Yahoo to shut down any child porn chat sites, but then it turned out to be all user created chat rooms. This is their way of ensuring yahoo chatters stay within the firm's terms of service.

They received praise from child advocasy groups but critism from free-speech advocates who say shutting down all user created chats instead of just chats related to under-age sex would have a negative impact on free speech on the Internet.

What do you guys think, seeing that we all kinda chat here. I haven't participated in real chat rooms but I have to say, I think children's safety takes precedence and maybe we need a bit more time to look for alternative solutions to allow free speech. How about an application process and monitoring of site? Red tape but better than nothing.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8336384/

[hammer]

As the article states it was pressure from advertisers. It of course came down to money but anybody with a conscience should support it. Seriously, how can they let chats with titles like that ever exist and what took so long to take them down. Maybe not all of them but at least the ones causing problems. Even if they are user created they are still on Yahoo which is a business not a street corner. I'm all for free speech but I don't think someone elses website is the place to exercise that right.

With some laws the way they are now I'm sure there would be a way for Yahoo to be held responsible for facilitating a crime if it originated from one of these chats. I'm sure they took this into account. Letting this type of chat on there site is technically supporting it the way I look at it. Allowing chat like this is providing preditors on outlet that can be more dangerous than providing website links to child porn picture sites. Which I'm sure yahoo does not allow.

Was it nessecary to remove all chat? Probably not but if thats what it takes I support it. The sad thing is that someone out there will provide a place and people will find it.