| Show Yahoo closes chat rooms after TV sex report Mike Musgrove The Washington Post Internet portal Yahoo shut shutdown shutdown shutdown down its user-created user chat rooms after a television news series showed the online service used in apparent attempts to lure children children children chil chil- dren for sex Yahoo spokeswoman Mary Osako would not say whether the decision was in response to a series on the NBC affiliate in Houston television station that showed online discussions discussions discussions dis dis- bearing titles such as 9 17 Year Olds Sex and Girls 12 and Under for Older Guys Some of Yahoos Yahoo's advertisers such as Pepsico Inc and State Farm Insurance Cos said Thursday that they pulled their advertising We were completely unaware that our ads were associated with these chat rooms in any way Pepsico spokesman David DeCecco said As soon as we found out we worked with Yahoo to remove them immediately immediately immediately immedi immedi- from the site State Farm spokesman Phil Supple said his company was shocked when it saw where some of its ads were appearing on Yahoo State Farm stopped advertising with Yahoo in April as the TV station was preparing its report Supple said but resumed after being assured its spots would not appear on chat- chat room pages Osako said the company decided to close the chat rooms which were online discussion venues that any Yahoo user could create because it is working working work work- working ing on a better version We are working on improvements to enhance the user experience and compliance with our terms of service she said Yahoos Yahoo's terms of service service agreement states that users must agree not to use any of the the company's company's company's com com- pany's products s or services es to harm minors in In any way way or to vulgar or transmit t mail e-mail or r trans obscene content The company did not ot s say y Thursday when the service will Yahoo Continued on Page 4 Yahoo Continued from front return or how it will operate when it does Users may still participate in online chat rooms that the company cre cre- ates Yahoo chat was never where kids should be said Parry Aftab executive director director director tor of a Web site that promotes online safety safety safety safe safe- ty for children Aftab said she would be happy for the company company company com com- pany to bring the service back if there were a way to keep n children safe Yahoo has always cared a lot about these issues but butt they've mostly worked behind the scenes she said If theres there's anybody I would trust to do this right it would be them This is not the first fast time Yahoos Yahoo's image has risked tarnish tarnish tarnish tar tar- nish by people seeking to lure children or to trade pornographic pornographic pornographic porno porno- graphic material involving minors A 2001 FBI investigation tion targeted certain Yahoo users and resulted in the arrest of more than people in the United States |
