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Microsoft Puts Police Link on Messenger

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the land-of-false-positives dept.

SirClicksalot writes "Microsoft is working together with the UK Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre to help protect Windows Live Messenger Users. UK users will be able to report suspected sexual predators directly to the police. From the article: 'Microsoft will add a "report abuse" icon to Messenger that will link any users worried about their anonymous internet buddies directly to online police services. Set up earlier this year to provide a single point of contact for the public, law enforcers and the communications industry to report the targeting of children online, CEOP offers advice and information to parents and potential victims of abuse and works with police forces around the world to protect children.'"

3 of 253 comments (clear)

  1. Re:abuse by niceone · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It'll be interesting to see how this plays out - isn't there are crime called "wasting police time" or something? Can you be prosecuted for clicking that icon without good cause?

    --
    ccalam - acoustic versions of new songs.
  2. And This Works How? by nbannerman · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have three seperate accounts I use to log into MSN Messenger's services, via passport.

    Only one of them contains any personal information about me. The other two, which are in use most often, are full of completely bogus information.

    Hypothetically speaking, where exactly would any online 'police service' get in such a situation? I think this has the potential to be a good idea, but I'm curious to see how many resources are going to be thrown behind this, given how easy it is to enter completely false data from the word go.

  3. Re:abuse by bwthomas · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In the US we have something called 'filing a false police report' or something similar, and as i recall it actually has some pretty scary consequences associated with it, all things considered. It would stand to reason that the UK has something analogous.