Anti-Spam Group Blacklists Telewest

LONDON – One of Britain’s largest Internet service providers and more than 900,000 of its customers were the target of an anti-spam group’s blacklist after the ISP was found to have been compromised in its control of suspect outgoing mail.

Telewest, which according to its website provides telephony and/or broadband services to 1.8 million customers in the U.K., ran afoul of the Spam Prevention Early Warning System (SPEWS) when it was found that many of Telewest’s customers’ computers had been hijacked by viruses and worms. Some of the machines were reported to have been delivering over 100,000 suspect emails a day.

SPEWS operates by checking spammers’ IP or machine addresses against a database of previous offenders. Telewest reported that it knew about the possibility its subscribers’ machines might be being used as spam proxies, or slaves, and it was working with customers to fix the problem.

Telewest issued a statement that punishing the near-million broadband users for the actions of what is believed to total about 17,000 voluntary or involuntary spammers on its blueyonder.co.uk domain is unfair. Blueyonder generates about 90.4 million emails a day.

A Telewest representative said that the company plans to release a free firewall, anti-spam and anti-virus package later this year, but added that the spam-by-proxy issue is one which the entire ISP industry suffers from, not just Telewest.

Telewest also is the nation’s second-largest cable provider, though subscriptions plateaud and fell in 2004 while its Internet business grew.

Copyright © 2025 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

Roxie Rae Relaunches Site Through XSiteAbility

Roxie Rae has relaunched her site through XSiteAbility.

Federal Appeals Court Vacates FTC 'Click to Cancel' Rule Pending Review

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit on Tuesday vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s “click-to-cancel” rule aimed at making it easier for consumers to cancel online subscriptions, pending further review.

FSC Drops Florida AV Lawsuit in Wake of SCOTUS Decision

A U.S. district court judge granted on Tuesday a motion by Free Speech Coalition to dismiss the trade association’s lawsuit over Florida’s age verification law, a case that had been on hold pending the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the constitutionality of state AV laws.

Ukrainian President Responds to Porn Legalization Petition

President Volodymyr Zelensky responded Tuesday to an OnlyFans model’s petition to decriminalize pornography in Ukraine, stating that he would wait for the legislative process to play out “in accordance with established procedure.”

Only Tax Deductions Joins Pineapple Support as Sponsor

Adult industry accounting firm Only Tax Deductions has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Adult Empire Launches 'Conversations' Podcast Series

Adult Empire has launched a new official podcast series hosted by Nicole Chappelle and Charlie.

Sex Work CEO Launches 'Teams Plan' for AI Assistant

Sex Work CEO has introduced the new Teams Plan for its AI-powered, NSFW text generator, GPTease.

2025 XBIZ Amsterdam Website Launches With Call for Speakers

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the website for its annual European conference, XBIZ Amsterdam, is now live.

NC Governor Vetoes Bill Targeting Adult Industry, Override Possible

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein today vetoed a bill imposing new regulations that adult industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most adult creators and content.

25,000 Sign Petition to Legalize Pornography in Ukraine

An OnlyFans model’s petition to decriminalize pornography in Ukraine has amassed the 25,000 signatures required for official consideration by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Show More