US government sanctions hit Windows Live Messenger in embargoed countries
The news broke the other day of Microsoft disabling their instant messaging network, Windows Live Messenger, to a number of countries including Sudan, Syria, North Korea, Cuba and Iran, due to a number of trade embargoes which the US government has against these countries.Long story short, the trade embargoes essentially restricts the import and export of goods to a country, sovereignty or government often due to political reasons, as a "form of protest against another country's practices".