We wrote about the man arrested last week for allegedly sexually assaulting a boy he met on Xbox Live in California. This will be of no surprise to you, but it seems that in the world of broadcast TV, one incident can make a trend.
I got a call on Friday from a producer at Fox National News asking if I would go on Sunday's Big Story show to talk about how online gaming works. I'm told I won't be debating anyone, just providing information. We'll see. (They were supposed to call Saturday to confirm, but as of this morning still haven't.)
In the meantime, here's Microsoft's official take on what happened:
Safety and security, specifically child on line safety, are a top priority for Microsoft, and we insure that Xbox Live is equipped with the tools that allow parents to monitor the activities of their children during online game play, including disabling voice communications. Xbox Live is regulated by our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct which prohibit all illegal activities. We work closely with law enforcement around the world on child safety issues on the Internet and will provide any and all help to the authorities investigating this case. For more details on this incident, we recommend you contact the Santa Rosa Police Department.
While it's very disturbing this may have happened, I think most gamers and anyone who uses the Internet realizes that pedophiles lurk on many forms of online communication. The fact that one may have used Live isn't a surprise. What is, is that it took this long to happen. Fortunately, Msoft lets you disable talking on Live so parents can at least limit the dangers of online play.
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