AOL shuts out Odigo IM users

NEWS AOL has put the brakes on users of competing software manufacturer Odigo's Instant Messaging (IM) service communicating with its own users. AOL has already blocked subscribers from communicating with Hotmail and AIM IMs. An Odigo spokesman told silicon.com: "They did not warn us in advance, they blocked our users out over the weekend, like thieves in the night." Last month, Internet services companies iCast and Tribal Voice asked the US Federal Communication Commission to force AOL to open up its Instant Messaging (IM) service for competition as a condition of its merger with Time Warner. AOL has issued a statement claiming its actions are intended to protect user privacy.