>THE SEC is seeking software and network application developers and vendors
>to create the so-called "sniffer" that would monitor public areas of the
>Net. In addition to Web sites and Usenet newsgroups, other areas of
>surveillance include listservs, a software program that administers mailing
>lists, and public discussion areas. The monitoring system would be created
>"off-site" so as not to lead back to the SEC.
A friend of mine who covers scams for TheStreet.com says an SEC enforcement guy told him they search the web for the phrase "the next Microsoft" to sniff out fraudulent promotions.
Doug