CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The basic idea of Chat Roulette sounds good. Go on the Web site and with a few clicks of the mouse you have a video link with people all around the world.
Chat Roulette is one of the hottest sites on the Internet right now, but chances are good most busy parents have never heard of it.
But at the FBI's Charlotte office, the head of cyber crimes, Special Agent Coleen Moss, is well aware of Chat Roulette.
"Typically, as we find with any new technology, criminals, or in this case perverts, find a way to use it to meet their needs as well," Moss said.
Chat Roulette is free and it just takes a few moments online to see what Moss is talking about. Most of the people we encountered were men. One had no pants on and more than one of them were doing things that can't be printed.
"About 50 percent of it probably is material that parents or just regular people in general will find objectionable," Moss said.
There is a disclaimer that users must be at least 16 years of age and that nothing obscene will be tolerated. Despite the disclaimer, there does not appear to be any enforcement and there is no federal law on the books now to prohibit it.
That leaves it up to parents again. The FBI's Moss said, "Talk with your children about what you think is appropriate or not appropriate for them to be doing on line."
