Microsoft and Pobox.com Take Aim at Spam

REDMOND, Wash. – Computer giant Microsoft Corp. has formed an alliance with Pobox.com to develop a single standard for fighting the spam glut.

The purpose of the solution is so that Internet service providers can more easily filter out unsolicited email, a goal that both companies had been pursuing separately until this week.

Both Microsoft and Pobox, a subsidiary of Pennsylvania-based IC Group, are in talks to combine two solutions: Microsoft's Caller ID software for email, and a Sender Policy Framework solution developed by Pobox co-founder Meng Wong. Pobox is an email forwarding company.

The proposed standard would enable ISPs to track the address of the email sender and determine if it is sent from servers known to be used by mass spam marketers. Once the email is recognized as spam, it can be rejected by the ISP servers.

Microsoft is saying that the standard would be particularly effective when it comes to shutting out spam companies that use "cloaking" or "spoofing" methods to disguise the origin of their emails. Both practices use bogus headers and return addresses to mislead email recipients and elude anti-spam companies. In many cases those tactics are used to dupe users into handing over personal identification information.

"What we're trying to do is tell if an incoming email is really coming from where it says it's coming from," Wong told Reuters.

The two companies have announced their anti-spam alliance on the heels of a new research study claiming that in the month of April alone, 840 million spam emails were received by users, and among those millions, 97 percent were spam.

According to both Microsoft and Pobox, the proposed standard awaits approval from the Internet Engineering Task Force, an open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the operation of the Internet. IETF is overseen by the Internet Architecture Board.

Other ISPs and Internet heavy hitters like Amazon.com, Yahoo and American Online are also developing their own solutions to the spam scourge. In March of this year, Yahoo came out with an authentication system called Domain Keys, which digitally encrypts email messages in such a way that email browsers can reject certain email.

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

Justices Alito, Thomas Invoke Victorian-Era Morality Law, Raising Censorship Concerns

Several national publications reported this week on widespread concern among Free Speech advocates after U.S. Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas repeatedly invoked during a hearing the infamous segregation-era law the Comstock Act, which was the cornerstone of U.S. censorship of sexual material from the 1870s until the 1970s.

Skinfluential Management's FansFuel Acquires Fanwire

FansFuel has acquired creator account management tool Fanwire.

Nebraska AV Bill Moves Forward Despite Privacy, Free Speech Concerns

Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature has given first-round approval to LB 1092, the state’s version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists.

AEBN Celebrates 25th Anniversary

The Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network (AEBN) is celebrating its 25th year in business this week.

Performers in Meta Blacklisting Lawsuit Seek to Preserve Antitrust Claims

Adult Performance Artists Guild board officers Alana Evans, Kelly Pierce and Ruby have informed a California court that, although they want to drop their lawsuit claiming that Meta conspired with OnlyFans to blacklist rival premium fan platforms’ talent, they may still pursue antitrust claims in the future.

FSC, Co-Plaintiffs to Ask US Supreme Court to Review Constitutionality of Texas Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) and its co-plaintiffs in the challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law have petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit to stay its recent decision upholding the law, because they intend to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to review the law’s constitutionality.

FSC Vows to Fight Florida Age Verification Law

Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has issued a statement vowing to continue fighting Florida’s new age verification law, which was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday as part of a comprehensive bill targeting minors’ use of social media.

Kansas Republican Aims to Create New Bureaucracy to 'Investigate' Porn Websites

Republican state legislators succeeded Monday in moving forward Kansas’ version of the age verification bills being sponsored around the country by anti-porn religious conservative activists, despite serious concerns raised by House Democrats about the cost of establishing a new bureaucracy tasked with investigating websites for pornographic content.

SK Intertainment Launches 'Skinfluential Management' Agency, FansFuel Joint Venture

Mr. Skin/Mr. Man parent company SK Intertainment has launched new creator agency Skinfluential Management, as well as a new joint venture with Showbizz Media's creator stats and affiliate marketing platform, FansFuel.

Industry Attorney, Free Speech Champion Clyde DeWitt Passes Away at 75

Noted industry attorney Clyde DeWitt passed away on Friday in Las Vegas at 75, according to friends and colleagues.

Show More