FRONT PAGE: Microsoft launches 15 lawsuits in effort to halt spam By Scott Morrison in San Francisco
Microsoft stepped up its campaign to curb the flood of junk e-mail yesterday by launching legal actions against some of the world's most prolific spam producers.
The lawsuits, aimed at 15 spammers in the US and UK, underline the seriousness with which the software house is taking the growing threat.
Companies are expected to spend as much as $20bn (£12bn) this year to fight the unwanted commercial e-mail that accounts to about half of all traffic.
Microsoft said the spammers it was pursuing were responsible for more than 2bn junk e-mails that clogged networks and its customers' mail boxes with often offensive messages. It estimated they could have sent a further 3bn to customers of other internet service providers.
The company said the civil lawsuits - 13 in the US and two in the UK - reflected Microsoft's new aggressive approach to tackling spam. Tim Cranton, a senior attorney at Microsoft, said many of the company's anti-piracy team had been reassigned to track down spammers.
The cases also demonstrate the lengths to which Microsoft will go to track down spam. The company said it traced spam messages via computers and websites in 34 countries before the trail led back to the 15 spammers.
Brad Smith, Microsoft's general counsel, said: "Spam knows no borders. It is an issue that requires global co-ordination, so that industry and government have the maximum ability to protect consumers."
Microsoft, with 120m users of its Hotmail e-mail service, plus 8.7m subscribers of its MSN internet service, has been particularly hard hit by spam and some critics have accused the company of not moving aggressively enough to combat the problem.
Even as it was highlighting its campaign yesterday, Microsoft was testifying in California against a proposed state law that would require businesses to get permission from internet users before sending them commercial e-mails. Microsoft argues that the concept, known as "opt-in", would be draconian as it would prevent businesses from sending legitimate commercial e-mails.
Yesterday's lawsuits were targeted at some of the most misleading, deceptive and offensive spam e-mails received by its customers, Microsoft said.
Other internet service providers have also stepped up their efforts. Verizon has launched legal actions while Earthlink spent more than a year tracking down a notorious user dubbed the "Buffalo spammer".
It is now widely accepted that spam can only be fought by combining technology and the law. Several US states have passed anti-spam laws and there are several proposed federal bills. A European Union directive requires member sates to adopt restrictive anti-spam laws.
Microsoft said some of the 14 cases involved defendants alleged to have disguised e-mails that contained pornographic images, dating service solicitations and other adult services.