Have I missed something here?

I am a veteran of IRC and have regularly used chat rooms, or more specifically two chat rooms on one server, for years. The rooms I use are well moderated and overseen by responsible adults but the concern is always there that a 'groomer' may slip through the net.

I have no real idea of the statistics involved but worldwide chatrooms receive more hits than just about any other type of site (porn aside) and despite the efforts of many out there to keep them safe, some of those rooms leave a great deal to be desired. I consider myself un-shockable and very open minded but none the less, believe me, there are some weirdo's...... and one groomer operating is too many.

And so I read with interest this morning an article in the the BBCi News email that hits my inbox at 5am every day that the police in many countries are considering eavesdropping on internet chat room conversations.

My immediate reaction was positive in that anything that can reduce the dangers for young people is a good thing but as I considered it further I began to wonder if I was missing something!! Apparently if the police are 'listening in' an icon will appear on the screen to inform the chatter that their conversation is being monitored. Would that not mean that in the event that the conversation was with a groomer, he or she would just log off and that if a server became known as one that is monitored in those with such intent would just use another?????

I considered the idea further and gradually became a little miffed, we live more and more in a 'nanny state' where individuals and their guardians are not allowed to take responsibility for themselves and from a purely selfish point of view I just don't want to have the police monitoring my conversations. That is very much not because I am doing anything nefarious but because my conversations are private and mine!

I don't have children and so probably have no idea how hard it is to keep track of what they do or to control what they get up to but I'm damn sure some are left to their own devices and parked infront of a computer just to keep them 'out of the way'. I am no great techie but even I know that what a child can access on here can be controlled to a great degree if the effort is made to put those controls in place.

Is parental responsibility not the real answer here?

I'm not naive and I suppose in the end sadly not all parents take that responsibility. Even for those that do their offspring are likely to be more 'pc savvy' and able to circumnavigate whatever efforts are made to keep them safe! Ultimately in that case any controls put in place by the professionals have to be embraced.

One child harmed is one too many!

Sadly I think if a room is overseen by the police people will cease to use it. I consider myself to be responsible, reasonably informed and 'pro police' and whilst I deplore the activities of groomers and their like, if I'm honest I have to admit I don't think I would use a room if I was aware it was being eavesdropped!! That doesn't rest easy with me and presents me with a moral dilemma I feel I should do everything I can but I also value my privacy.

Maybe like I said ,I'm missing something here....... and what do I know anyway!