It's really very simple.
The only people who can set "terms of service" for an IRC network are the administrators of that network - NOT the creators of any of the many clients (like mIRC, Bitch-X, Klient, Snak, Irssi etc.), for many different operating systems, that ALL happen to be able to connect to that same network.
Problems with illegal behaviour on IRC networks should also be directed to the administrators of those networks - in the same way as you would complain about a paedophile website to the relevant Internet Service Provider and not to Microsoft, the makers of the browser that lets you look at it.
Note too that there are literally thousands of networks out there. Tthere is no
single entity that is IRC - have a look at the
Netstat.de website for confirmation of this - and therefore there can be no standard TOS binding on all IRC users.
I am sure that many (most) people on this forum agree that paedophilia, sexual predation and harrassment are a bad thing, and I am sure that Khaled, mIRC's author, feels the same way - that doesn't mean that we are in a position to do anything about it, though. (If we were, don't you think law enforcement would already have insisted that we do so?)
I would finish with two points.
Firstly, the problems you raise are all very well known and well publicised. Whole websites exist to help parents help children avoid sexual predators. The fact that law enforcement, network administrators and other agencies have been unable to stamp out such vile behaviour is of course disappointing (although perhaps not surprising), but they ARE trying.
Secondly, while I wish you success in your endeavour, you will not be even remotely successful unless you address yourself to the right people - which software authors are not. No software can yet modify/control user behaviour in a chat scenario.
You have to understand that IRC is a lot older than the mIRC client - it is necessary to overcome the confusion that inevitably arises from confusing the two, very similar, sets of initials!
PM
