Microsoft has abruptly closed down four \u201cpro-anorexia\u201d\u009d websites in Spain following a complaint that they were endangering the lives of teenage girls.<\/p>\n
The websites, which offer tips such as \u201ctake up smoking\u201d\u009d and \u201cif your stomach rumbles, hit it\u201d\u009d, were accused of teaching teenagers how to starve themselves.<\/p>\n
Internet companies usually wait for a court order before closing any sites that they host. But Microsoft acted swiftly after complaints from a Catalan watchdog that several blogs on its Live Spaces community glorified starvation as a lifestyle choice.<\/p>\n
Such sites worship \u201cthinspirational\u201d\u009d celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and refer to \u201cmy friend Ana\u201d\u009d instead of anorexia to avoid discovery by parents.<\/p>\n