Report Possible Predators with One Click
Wed Aug 23, 2006 11:20PM EDT
See Comments (3)
Talk about instant results.
Checking in with the BBC, I found this piece about a "report abuse" icon that will soon be found on MSN and Windows Live Messenger chat pages in the United Kingdom. Located in the top right-hand corner of the page, users will be able to click on the red button when they suspect a "buddy" is a sexual predator.
The reporting is not anonymous, so UK officials believe fake or malicious reports of abuse will be few. Microsoft partnered with the UK's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre to put the icon in place.
"Behind the report abuse button will sit police and intelligence officers who have been specially trained to tackle child sex abuse, the CEOP's chief executive, Jim Gamble, said in news reports. "We will tell you how to capture information and how to seize online discussions and then proactively do all we can to track down the perpetrator."
Wow. Sounds impressively immediate. At best, it could prevent some inappropriate, abusive behavior. At worst, it could spark some misguided investigations by already overburdened law enforcement.
Would you like to see something like this on chat pages in the U.S., or does it seem like overkill and ripe for abuse?
Top 5 Posts
Comments on Report Possible Predators with One Click
Post a Comment
Join in the discussion. Here you'll see the comments in the order they were posted.
-
2 Posted by grany316 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:12PM EDT Report Abuse
nov.11 time 5:26 Yesterday was not soon enough, i just received an instant message asking about oral sex with 11 year old boys, i have been looking for a place to report the user name. why is it so hard to contact yahoo, or am i just missing it. this is the first place i have found to get a email out. i can be contacted at grany316@yahoo.com THIS PERSON NEEDS TO BE STOPPED.
-
3 Posted by stallion_kentucky on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:39PM EDT Report Abuse
Several people posing as females, saying there from africa, trying to entice me into sending them money to come to the U.S. to live with them, and if u say no, they start using offensive language, one is patricia williams @yahoo.com
Sponsored Links
My Tech
Please enable your browser's cookies to activate the My Tech column.
Also on Yahoo! Tech
| Computers | Home Office | Wi-Fi & Networking | Phones & PDAs | Cameras & Camcorders | TV & Home Theater | Portable Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Posted by labrecsf on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:55PM EDT Report Abuse
It sounds like a really great idea, on paper. My question is, how likely would a teenage girl -- the person most likely to be the target of a predator -- be to use the button when the predator is being so seductive? And how often would an informed adult -- the person most likely to use the button -- be the target of a predator? I guess if they catch even a few to start, the effect could grow, which would be fantastic.