Online petition against Yahoo's stop chat room move

MUMBAI, INDIA: Yahoo's recent decision to shut down its hugely popular chat room services and other features has not gone down well with millions of users across the world.

The move has annoyed a huge number of Internet users who have been using Yahoo's public chat room services for more than 15 years or so. Hence, they have now decided to send a strong public message to the company using an online petition.

Users have launched an online petition - 'Stop Yahoo from closing down their chat rooms' on the website - www.thepetitionsite.com and are asking the company to change its decision. Already around 386 users from around the globe have signed this online petition against Yahoo and the number is still growing. However the aim is get 1000 users to sign this online petition.

"I have been on Yahoo for quiet a few years and have made some really good friends on Yahoo. And Yahoo rooms are the only way a lot of people have been communicating with the other folks so please keep the Yahoo rooms open," a user from India's Tamil Nadu state wrote in the petition.

Many tech analysts have observed Yahoo's move to stop chat services is to do more with the malicious activities and scammers who have made Yahoo chats infamous in recent years. The failure on part of Yahoo to deal with and control those online scammers and malicious activities including web-sex, flesh trade etc., using technology, remains one of the prime reasons why Yahoo decided to shut down chat room services.

However, the Yahoo chat rooms has good sides too. Joe Peterson from Wisconsin state of US in the petition said, "Please don't close chat, it is used for more then just chat. I had a virus on my computer and people from Single Parents1 room helped me get rid of that virus."

Given the popularity of Yahoo chat services among users, it would be no surprise if the online petition is signed by more than 1000 users. Moreover, the decision also puts a big question mark on the world's oldest Internet company, as it is not exhibiting more innovative tech capabilities to leverage its existing platform like Yahoo Messenger rather than close it and allow rivals to increase market share and business.