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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | ||
SYDNEY, 12 March 2003 - Yahoo! Australia and NZ turned up the heat today on e-mail spamming, introducing a new and more powerful version of SpamGuard which will significantly reduce the amount of Spam (or 'junk' e-mails) delivered to users. With e-mail usage expected to double in three years* unwanted mail is becoming a major issue as spammer use a combination of seven tricks to get into inboxes. Preliminary tests by Yahoo! of the new version of SpamGuard has resulted in reports of spam declining by as much as 40 percent. . "Everyone knows spam is a major issue and that's why we've worked hard to give our users choice and control when it comes to their inboxes," said Rachel Watt, producer, Yahoo! Australia & NZ Mail. "With the release of new Spamguard and other useful tools, we believe we have the best solution to fight spam." . Preliminary tests showed SpamGuard caught five times more spam in February 2003 than in February 2002. The "This is Spam" link, launched in August 2002, has played an integral role in improving SpamGuard technology by evaluating the feedback received by tens of millions of Yahoo! Mail users to better identify and filter spam. The advanced version of SpamGuard is more comprehensive at thwarting the techniques spammers are using today. SpamGuard's sophisticated filtering technology automatically detects and directs spam into a separate folder, giving people the option and control to review all of their incoming e-mail. . In addition to SpamGuard, Yahoo! Australia & NZ Mail offers other spam-fighting tools to further bolster protection against spam. The newest weapon against spam provides e-mail users the ability to block html graphics from being downloaded automatically when a message is opened. This optional "block html graphics" feature protects users from viewing images they may not want to see. This feature also protects users from web beacons, which are invisible tags within an e-mail that trigger an alert back to the spammer that the e-mail has been opened and the address is "live." Furthermore, people have the control to block up to 100 addresses and set up 15 filters to customise protection against spam. . "Yahoo! believes that a multi-faceted approach is key to effectively combat spam," said Rachel. "In addition to improving its anti-spam tools and technology, Yahoo! supports legislation that provides for effective deterrents, penalties and marketing rules that would give consumers and email service providers additional protection from unsolicited commercial email. Through this approach, Yahoo! continues to be an industry leader in the battle against spam." . About Yahoo! Australia & NZ Mail Launched more than five years ago, Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo! Australia & NZ Mail (http://mail.yahoo.com.au) help people stay in touch at home, at work or while traveling for business or pleasure. Yahoo!'s integrated services offer a wide range of options including the ability to retrieve and send e-mail via mobile phones (currently Telstra and Vodafone). Yahoo! Australia & NZ Mail is fully integrated with Yahoo!'s many other popular services such as Address Book to make it easy to access all the Internet services people need. Yahoo! Mail has received a variety of prominent industry accolades including "Best Free E-Mail" for three consecutive years by PC World, and CNET Editors' Choice awards. *IDC: expected rise in global worldwide daily volume of e-mail from 31 billion messages this year to 60 billion in 2006 Yahoo! Australia & NZ (www.yahoo.com.au) is one of the most recognised Internet brands in the region. www.yahoo.com.au and the online auction site SOLD.com.au are part of the global network of Yahoo! sites. By working with leading local companies, Yahoo! Australia & NZ provides comprehensive online products and services to over four million Australians and New Zealand consumers and businesses each month.
Clare Anderson - Professional Public Relations, canderson@ppr.com.au 02 9818 4044 Anna Featherstone @ Yahoo! Australia & NZ Copyright © 1994-2003 Yahoo! Inc. All Rights Reserved. | |||