Live messenger or MSN as most people know it is filtering the transmission of possible dangerous files. This has been a known fact for quite some time, but recently the MSN filtering practices have lead to some more upheaval because it has been proven that the popular communication software is filtering text messages. - read more

Dutch MSN-users have found out that messages containing www.infofilter.nl (a site blocking unwanted ads) will not reach their contact. www.scream.nl (a site protesting for world peace and anti war) and www.scrap.nl (a site of a dutch Scrapyard company) are also URLs that are are banned by Microsoft. Not only the link is removed from the message but the entire message disappears into cyberspace. Neither person taking part in the conversation is being warned - so the filtering takes place in the background in a rather Big Brotheresque fashion.

Microsoft has spoken with the Dutch news website Tweakers about the matter en states that the blocked urls have been the source of viruses in the past. Microsoft is opposing the term 'censorship' that is used on various news-sites and states that this is purely a precautionary measure to stop viruses from spreading. The blockage of websites is not new and has been working in the background for the past 1 1/2 years. The fact that neither party of the conversation is warned about this is brushed aside by the statement that people will themselves will notice certain messages going missing in a regular conversation.

Source: www.tweakers.net (a Dutch news site)