Microsoft Namibia confirmed yesterday that a decision on Wednesday to close chat rooms in Europe, Asia and Latin America, also applied to southern Africa.

"MSN (Microsoft Network) Chat services will close in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin American markets," Microsoft said.

Moderated MSN Chat will only be available to "subscribing customers in the USA, Canada, and Japan," Microsoft said.

The measures will be implemented on October 14, the worldwide computer firm said in a statement e-mailed to The Namibian in response to questions the newspaper had asked.

"The subscription-based chat rooms in the USA, Canada and Japan are moderated, which means that the chat room is a controlled environment," Microsoft said.

Such chat rooms are managed by MSN "support vendors" utilising "a combination of automated Chat tools and actual human hosts" to help ensure communications are appropriate.

MSN Messenger, a free messaging service that puts you in touch with specific friends and acquaintances around the world in real time, will remain available.

Local News Headlines Of The Last 48 Hours