9 August 2001
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Thank you very much for your letter of the 30th July which has just been brought to my attention. Uboot takes very seriously any report whatsoever of users detracting from the site's ethos of community and fun.

We make it a priority to act swiftly against people who abuse other individuals or attempt to circulate material that is either racist or sexually offensive. We act in accordance with the law and are at pains to do whatever we can within the law to guard against such occurences.

We immediately bar perpetrators from using our site and take measures to try to prevent them from re-registering..

We can also ensure that a victim of abuse, if they desire it, is no longer able receive messages via uboot. We work closely with the police and have developed an good relationship with officers from number of constabularies . If we receive a data protection act waiver form from them we are then authorised to conduct follow up investigations, although to do so without such a waiver is, under the terms of the act, illegal.

Text mesaging is a communications medium like any other. We have no control and want no control over what messages people send. In respect of abusive messages, text messages should be treated in the same way as telephone calls or letters; unfortunately there has always been a small minority of sick-minded people who have seen fit to send abuse via these forms of communication, but thankfully no one has suggested that telephone companies or the Post Office screen calls or letters.

Uboot would like to emphasise how seriously it takes the issue. What we recommend is that uboot users with any experiences of abusive messaging contact us directly so that we may act upon the information immediately. If Ms Guest wants to take the matter further, we are very happy for her to call us on 0207 684 5565.

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