|
Spam gets circular file detour
|
 |
July 20, 1998: 9:16 a.m. ET
Start-up Bright Light Technologies to unveil new anti-spam software
|
NEW YORK (CNNfn) - San Francisco-based start-up Bright Light Technologies Inc. introduced a product Monday designed to thwart spam, the "junk" e-mail messages that have annoyed Internet users and service providers.
Bright Light plans to market its anti-spam software, called Bright Mail, to Internet service providers (ISPs) and corporations to screen out unwanted commercial messages.
Bright Mail works by setting up fictitious e-mail accounts on major Internet services, established by the company to serve as an early-warning system against spam.
Mail sent to those fictitious accounts will be forwarded to a Bright Light operations center that analyzes and identifies spam. The company then will send computerized instructions to allow organizations that use its software to block specific messages before they reach consumers.
Bright Light said what distinguishes its product from other anti-spam devices is that its operating center runs 24 hours a day with a staff of experts who evaluate spam and send updates to Bright Mail's filtering software.
AT&T Corp.'s WorldNet service and EarthLink Network Inc. (ELNK) are among the Internet companies testing Bright Mail.
Spam has evolved from a minor nuisance to a serious issue for ISPs. In March, EarthLink reached a $2 million settlement with online marketer Cyber Promotions Inc., barring that company and its founder, so-called "spam king" Sanford Wallace, from sending spam to EarthLink customers.
Other Internet companies, including America Online Inc. and Bigfoot International Inc., have sued Cyber Promotions, as well.
In May, the Senate passed an anti-spam amendment as part of the Consumer Antislamming Act, which prohibits the unauthorized switching of consumers' telephone service providers. Under the anti-spam amendment, junk e-mailers who try to hide their identities could be fined up to $15,000.
The bill also makes it a illegal to send users bulk e-mail with a fake return address, or to "hijack" ISPs' mail servers to send spam.
Bright Light said it expects to ship Bright Mail in the fall. The product will be bundled with software from Sendmail Inc., an Emeryville, Calif., start-up whose products manage an estimated 75 percent of the Internet's e-mail traffic. Sendmail recently announced a series of modifications to its software to help cut down on spam.
Bright Light said a consumer version will be available in late 1998. 
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
