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hershie · 04-28-2003, 07:39 AM

Net heavyweights unite to KO spam
By Sandeep Junnarkar
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
April 28, 2003, 7:03 AM PT
http://news.com.com/2100-1025-998511.html

The top three e-mail service providers are pooling their resources and technical expertise to reduce unwanted commercial solicitations, or spam, inundating their systems.
America Online, Yahoo and Microsoft on Monday sketched a broad outline that calls for technical changes to e-mail to make it more difficult to send the widely reviled messages. Among the steps are plans to hinder spammers from creating multiple fraudulent e-mail accounts in bulk and to determine the real identity of the senders.

The three companies said they will work with organizations across the industry to drive technical standards and guidelines that will work across any software or hardware systems. They also said they will work with companies that regularly communicate with consumers and businesses through e-mail to help them become aware of what is considering spam.

One of the most oppressive aspects of connecting to the Net, spam wreaks havoc for computer users and for Internet companies such as AOL, Microsoft's MSN, Yahoo and EarthLink. AOL and Microsoft recently filed suit separately against individuals and companies that are allegedly blasting spam to their members.

The problem has become so widespread that federal lawmakers are trying to craft policy to punish spammers. Earlier this month, a pair of U.S. senators reintroduced a bill, called the CAN-SPAM Act, that would make it a federal offense to send spam using false return e-mail addresses. Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, also has proposed legislation to combat spam.

At this time, there is no U.S. law regulating spam. But even if there were legislation in place, its reach would be limited because much of the unsolicited mail that floods computer systems emanates from overseas. The Federal Trade Commission, which is holding a spam conference this week, has prosecuted spammers using consumer fraud charges.

Most Internet service providers and e-mail services offer technologies to block spam. But in a cat-and-mouse game, the spammers regularly figure out how to bypass the blocks. With individual filters routinely fooled by spammers, AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo said that a concerted effort may be the best way to fight spam.

"Spam is an industrywide challenge, requiring industrywide teamwork, in order to yield industrywide solutions," Ted Leonsis, AOL's vice chairman, said in a statement. "By cooperating and collaborating together, we can make real progress against this toxin that pollutes the Internet environment."

The companies said they will continue to work with law enforcement to deter those who fraudulently skirt antispam filters or otherwise violate applicable law. In this effort, the companies said they would develop better mechanisms for preserving electronic evidence related to spamming activity and cooperate with other Internet service providers to track down spammers.

04-28-2003, 07:39 AM
hershie Confirmed User Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 4,642	AOL, Yahoo and Microsoft unite to KO spam Net heavyweights unite to KO spam By Sandeep Junnarkar Staff Writer, CNET News.com April 28, 2003, 7:03 AM PT http://news.com.com/2100-1025-998511.html The top three e-mail service providers are pooling their resources and technical expertise to reduce unwanted commercial solicitations, or spam, inundating their systems. America Online, Yahoo and Microsoft on Monday sketched a broad outline that calls for technical changes to e-mail to make it more difficult to send the widely reviled messages. Among the steps are plans to hinder spammers from creating multiple fraudulent e-mail accounts in bulk and to determine the real identity of the senders. The three companies said they will work with organizations across the industry to drive technical standards and guidelines that will work across any software or hardware systems. They also said they will work with companies that regularly communicate with consumers and businesses through e-mail to help them become aware of what is considering spam. One of the most oppressive aspects of connecting to the Net, spam wreaks havoc for computer users and for Internet companies such as AOL, Microsoft's MSN, Yahoo and EarthLink. AOL and Microsoft recently filed suit separately against individuals and companies that are allegedly blasting spam to their members. The problem has become so widespread that federal lawmakers are trying to craft policy to punish spammers. Earlier this month, a pair of U.S. senators reintroduced a bill, called the CAN-SPAM Act, that would make it a federal offense to send spam using false return e-mail addresses. Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, also has proposed legislation to combat spam. At this time, there is no U.S. law regulating spam. But even if there were legislation in place, its reach would be limited because much of the unsolicited mail that floods computer systems emanates from overseas. The Federal Trade Commission, which is holding a spam conference this week, has prosecuted spammers using consumer fraud charges. Most Internet service providers and e-mail services offer technologies to block spam. But in a cat-and-mouse game, the spammers regularly figure out how to bypass the blocks. With individual filters routinely fooled by spammers, AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo said that a concerted effort may be the best way to fight spam. "Spam is an industrywide challenge, requiring industrywide teamwork, in order to yield industrywide solutions," Ted Leonsis, AOL's vice chairman, said in a statement. "By cooperating and collaborating together, we can make real progress against this toxin that pollutes the Internet environment." The companies said they will continue to work with law enforcement to deter those who fraudulently skirt antispam filters or otherwise violate applicable law. In this effort, the companies said they would develop better mechanisms for preserving electronic evidence related to spamming activity and cooperate with other Internet service providers to track down spammers.