Microsoft says YouTube blocking was a glitch

Users of Microsoft's instant-messaging service found themselves unable to share links to YouTube videos on Friday evening and Saturday morning, sparking brief worries of a possible Microsoft-led effort to block access to the Google-owned video-sharing site.

Microsoft said in a blog posting Sunday that the issue was a mistake made by the third party that handles blocking of potentially unsafe content for MSN Messenger and Windows Live Messenger.

"As some of you noticed, we had a problem from Friday night to Saturday morning where our Messenger service was incorrectly blocking some legitimate IP addresses," a Microsoft employee said on the company's Messenger blog. "We sincerely apologize for any difficulties this caused our users."

The company thanked users to alerting it to the problem. "Because of your help, the incorrect block was only in place for a few hours."

Microsoft also tried to throw cold water on some of the "outlandish speculation" on the cause of the problem.

"Microsoft did not request to block any of the URLs that were accidentally blocked," it said in the blog. "The blocks were made by our partner as a result of their process to block harmful URLs. We are still investigating the specific reason our partner made these incorrect blocks and we will work with them to improve their process for detecting harmful URLs while not blocking safe ones."

[JCPayne]

Ha. I sure am GLAD. they don't own Yahoo now......

[ncaissie]

Me too. Yahoo blows and MS shouldn't buy it.

[Norseman]

Just a glitch, huh? Yeah. Sure. Uh-huh. OK.<br /><br />I'm sure that a fine, upstanding corporation like Microsoft would never do a "In your face, Yahoo!" now, would they? Nah.

[ncaissie]

Me too, Yahoo blows.

[paul.saulnier]

Blaming the "partner" for causing a glitch in your software, this isn't very professional.

[timber2005]

The information is posted in a blog and you mention professional. It wasn't posted on Microsoft Press Pass *rolleyes*. Blogs are informal.<br />They could have just said "Hey, Its fixed".

[ncaissie]

Why not blame them if it was them. You need to grow up.

[igl00lgi]

Why are people so dim witted to even us a MS messaging client? You get what you deserve.

[firefoxluva95]

Third parties can make mistakes too. Microsoft doesn't have to "always be the bad guy" in society. Blaming MS for everything has become an old cliche folks.

[JCPayne]

Who--- is really shocked here??? ,-)<br /><br />I mean heck! Years ago Microsoft had some source code or something which stated that Netscape was "for weenies" or something like that... Couldn't this be more of the same???<br /><br />Article: MS admits planting secret password<br />Date: Posted on ZDNet News: Apr 14, 2000 12:00:00 AM<br />Source: www.Zdnet.com - ZDnet Online<br /><br />Link: <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-519911.html?legacy=zdnn" target="_newWindow">http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9595_22-519911.html?legacy=zdnn</a><br /><br />-- Microsoft Corp. acknowledged Thursday that its engineers included in some of its Internet software a secret password -- a phrase deriding their rivals at Netscape as "weenies" -- that could be used to gain illicit access to hundreds of thousands of Internet sites worldwide. --<br /><br />. . . <br /><br />And now this? Ha...

[ncaissie]

So your faulting the company for one imature employee? grow up.

[someguy999]

I believe them, that basically they had a partner/vendor handling some aspect of the service and somehow it got block... but it is funny as heck!

[jmdunys]

It may be that they are preparing some filtering system or software update to messenger that is more subtle, such as: making sure the content you copy is not DRM protected or pirated, converting youtube flash file to silverlight, etc.<br /><br />And it may be that the the 'beta' or test environment did not function as stealthily and seamlessly as planned...<br /><br />Wouldn't be the first time, would it?

[nitad1]

I would like to know if microsoft does not own yahoo, then, who does? I have been having a lot of trouble with my email and would like to know if it is being sensored. I would also like to know more about the xp application issue that I was reading about from one of your members. Who sponsors internet spades? Please respond with some information on these subjects. Thank you