Microsoft IM Blocking YouTube Links

A number of readers are sending word that the blogosphere and Twittersphere are alight with reports of Microsoft's new block on messages containing YouTube URLs. Both MSN Messenger and Windows Live Messenger reportedly implement the block. One blogger sniffed the network to discover that such messages receive a NAK from Microsoft's servers. Microsoft has been blocking messages by keyword, as an anti-phishing measure, for some time, but *.youtube.com would not seem to provoke much worry about phishing. Instead, as B.E.T.A Daily speculates, "This block seems to be related to the recent launch of Messenger TV in 20 countries which allows for sharing video clips from MSN Video on Messenger." Hard to get away with in an arena where you don't enjoy a monopoly.

First

[Joe Jay Bee]

Well, this is clearly designed to prevent Rickrolls.

In all seriousness, I've been sending YouTube links around (and receiving them) just fine. Dunno where the problem is.

Of course, if bloggers and Twitter users say it, it MUST be true.

Rickrolls

[Rinisari]

This is deeper than Rickrolls, folks. Microsoft has absolutely no reason to block an entire website because of such a phenomenon. However, there's not much of a way of getting around it other than using a URL shortening service or complaining like mad to MSN.

It's reasons such as this that make me prefer AIM/ICQ and Jabber.

Um, they don't have an IM monopoly!

[Anonymous Coward]

Ever heard of AIM, or Yahoo Instant Messenger? (I'm leaving Google's IM service out for now - oops - I just mentioned it). As I understand it, both AOL and Yahoo have more IM users than MS does, so this has NOTHING to do with a monopoly.

DeviantArt

[Anonymous Coward]

DeviantArt is blocked too, which is really bizzare.

Re:Ms Fanbois - explain this, now.

[jeiler]

nb: I use Microsoft products, but I'm not a "fanboi."

what is the reasonable excuse for this ?

I don't know that there's any excuse for this. it sounds damn-foolish to me.

why shouldnt google censor keywords like microsoft, windows, xp, vista now ?

Because the folks at Google aren't idiots?

Like it or don't, Microsoft is the market--and though lately it sounds like they're doing everything possible to lose that position, they've got it for the time being. Why would Google block search terms for the leading OS and software producer?

But back to Microsoft--I don't know who the moron was who thought blocking Youtube was a good idea, but if it's actually a policy decision within Microsoft, it's a damn stupid one.

vote with your wallet - upgrade messaging clients

[SgtChaireBourne]

... Use something else.

One of the best is pidgin [pidgin.im], which runs a wide range of protocols. That's a step in the right direction and helps wean people off of MSN and into better services and more useful technologies.

However, from the article it looks like the problem is at the MS servers. So staying on MSN, even with a better client, is still helping feed money (via ads and such) into more anti-competitive behavior and barriers to interoperability.

What should also be mentions is that MSIE now gives 'security' warning messages when accessing Google's Gmail. No. I neither use nor condone use of MS in any way shape or form, but I do check up on those who claim they feel compelled to do so and use them to check periodically. Now that MS is going after Google, Gmail gets the errors. Now that MS is going after Youtube, it gets MS errors, too.

The courts don't won't can't keep up with all these illegal/unethical anti-competitive tactics. The only effective option is to just stop funding it. And that boils down to not using the products, formats, protocols or services tied to that company.

Re:Its not censorship

[Adambomb]

I agree entirely, and to take it a bit further..

This isn't only not censorship, it's not even evil. It's simply stupid.

When i think of the number of users who are consistently pasting youtube urls to each other...and then think of the number of users who would actually bother using the microsoft video service, i fail to see how there could possibly be a gain in this beyond drastically reducing the number of MSN and Windows Live messenger users in the end overall.

Maybe they just want to get rid of the hippies and only keep the userbase of controllable wallets? Beyond something bizarre like that, i fail to see the advantage in the end.

But wait, there's more!

[justthinkit]

People with [e-mail] addresses never receive YahooGroups.com invites. I get them bounced back to me routinely.

This IM blocking is just another reason to boycott msn.com, hotmail.com & live.com.

[Of course, YahooGroups now adds spaces in URLs I try to send to my groups. I have to TinyURL everything these days.]

one email to the EU coming up...

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh well, if they want to incur further fines then pulling stunts like this is a perfect way to go about getting them.
One email to Neelie Kroes on its way....

Hanlon's Razor

[geckipede]

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." I'm having a hard time believing that stupidity stretches this far. My guess is that the MSN block list is maintained automatically and somebody found a way to feed bad data into the system.

Re:True, however...

[canuck57]

The article didn't claim it was censorship. It made the (purely factual) claim that links to youtube were being blocked by msn messenger. Which they are.

No problems with gtalk [google.com]. Users being blocked ought to switch.

Wonder what Google will do to retaliate. MSN is Microsoft, YouTube is Google. Court or MS-WAR? (MS-Windows Annihilation and Replace). But this could get real interesting fast.

Re:Take off your tinfoil hats...

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually, I think that the simplest explanation is that an automated security system in place accidentally hit a false positive. There have been a couple of worms targetting distribution over MSN Messenger lately, so more aggresive filtering to a common message and URL were probably implemented. Youtube links, being terribly common and similar in nature, may have tripped this. That also explains why other commonly references sites for which MS would have no understandable reason to block are also blocked.

Re:But wait, there's more!

[Anonymous Coward]

Hotmail also actively blocks (not just marks as spam, but blocks entirely) an invite to GMail. Hmmmmm... Shocking?

Re:I call BS

[Mateo_LeFou]

The latest versions of Vista Genuine Service Pack Premium are able to tell that when you type domain name X, you really meant domain name Y.

For example, it knows utube.com means youtube.com (and should be blocked) and it knows that google.com means "live.com" and so on.

Their brilliance brings a tear to me eyes.

Re:First

[Joe Jay Bee]

Dude, I'm a Mac user, not to mention one who has submitted a package to Debian (a trivial, fairly pointless one yes, but a package nonetheless). You obviously didn't look back far enough to tbe one I made a few hours ago where I said that I'd like to not use MSN but have no real choice.

So yeah, not a shill, or a fanboi. :/