Youtube ban a mistake
ALL THOSE NASTY PEOPLE who thought that Microsoft was trying to shut down Youtube by banning its links on the Messenger service were wrong, claims Vole.
Users started to mutter the words ‘anti-trust’ when Messenger started refusing to allow Youtube links to be posted on Messenger. Every link came up with the words, 'this message could not be posted.'
However a SpokesVole said that it was not part of a devilish plot to overthrow the world order, kill off Youtube and replace it with its own video. Nope, it was simply a cock-up.
Apparently, the third party which handles blocking of potentially unsafe content for MSN Messenger and Windows Live Messenger listed Youtube as a bad site, as opposed to a bad sight.
The third party blocked a couple of other legitimate sites too, but the problem has since been fixed... in the library with a lead pipe.
The block was only up for a few hours. µ
L'Inq
Cnet
Share this:
ShareBusiness Intelligence Software
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Enterprise Accounting Software
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Enterprise Systems Management
ok... but why are they scanning, filtering and blocking content at all in one to one instant messaging in the first place?
To protect people from clicking on dodgy links maybe?

People have been infected by viruses in the past which caused their messenger to spam everyone on their contact list with a link, which leads to them acquiring a virus if they click on it.
They are scanning for known dodgy links and it takes a criminal a minute amount of time to set up a new unknown link. so that scanning wont do any good. Am I paranoid or is the scanning a pretext for indexing what links are sent? Since the real world use of scanning will cost more then it delivers profit.
Although I don't like my software telling me what I can or can't download/click, I have to admit I can see why these things exist. A lot of viruses are spread through chat programs by sending links or files to people on the infected person's contact list. It's a one-to-one instant messenger as the first commenter said, which is why the receiver believes he can trust anything that comes from his "mate".

Some people just aren't suspicious enough of these things.
Meanwhile mininova IS banning mention of youtube (WTF!) by replacing it with ******.
As if their version of youtube will ever be able to compete, even with heavy-handedness 
µ is turning into a copy/paste rag. I expected a bit more from the first article, like, for instance, pointing out that an intentional block by microsoft is too idiotic to even consider. (who would want that kind of publicity ?)

Instead all we got was a rephrasing of whatever page you linked at the bottom. I'm not suggesting you do our thinking for us, but rehashing stupid, unfounded rumors without pointing out their flaws is not the way to go either.

oh and great follow-up article too.
..."The third party blocked a couple of other legitimate sites too, but the problem has since been fixed... in the library with a lead pipe" gets my vote.

Personally, I'd have fixed it in the dining room with a candlestick, but I guess that's just style.

i guess i shouldn't give my friends links to torrents with windows live messenger anymore