SEX PREDATORS SHUT OUT OF CHAT ROOMS

Newsday/Mark Harrington

Internet service provider Yahoo said yesterday it was permanently closing the door on chat roomslikely to be frequented by sexual predators and minors as part of an unprecedented agreement withlaw enforcement. According to Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office, the action was targeted atYahoo chat rooms with names such as 5-13 kiddies who love sex, and Girls 13-16 for much olderguys. Spitzer's office negotiated the agreement after a seven month probe. The agreement calls forYahoo to remove and bar the posting of user-created chat rooms with names that promote such illicitsex. An undercover investigator, posing as a 14 year old while visiting one of those chat room,received 35 personal messages of a sexual nature over a singe 25 minute period. Under theagreement, Yahoo must prescreen all user-created chat room names and deny all postings thatencourage sex acts between adults and minors.

(New York)