Singapore - Singapore urged Internet access providers on Monday to follow Microsoft's lead in clamping down on unregulated chatrooms to prevent them from becoming havens for sex predators.
Information and Communications Minister Lee Boon Yang told parliament the government was concerned over the impact the abuse of Internet chatrooms was having on the high-tech city-state.
"We see Microsoft's recent closure of unmoderated chatrooms as a positive move," Lee said.
"We hope to see more of such industry initiatives and the MDA (Media Development Authority) is prepared to support and work with any industry player to facilitate this."
Microsoft's online subsidiary, MSN, announced in September it intended to close its chatrooms in most countries because they were being used by paedophiles seeking access to children.
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MSN closed all chatrooms except subscription-only services in the United States and free, monitored forums in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.
However other Internet access providers have not followed suit, with some claiming the move would have no impact on cyber abuse.
Internet chatrooms, or direct online discussion forums, are highly popular with young people, who frequently have unsupervised access to the family computer.
Users can communicate without revealing their true identities, and many have been lured into dangerous situations after encountering people in chatrooms and then arranging to meet them in person.
The potential abuse in Singapore was highlighted by media revelations last month that a 15-year-old local girl had sex with up to 80 men by using a chatroom to prostitute herself.
The girl posted her phone number in the Internet chatroom and when the men phoned her, she told them she was willing to have sex with them for money.
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