The site at is for all of us who use email on a regular basis and are touched by the problem of unwanted junk email -- better known as spam.
The Facts
So what is MSN doing to combat the problem and help consumers and businesses better protect themselves?
Addressing the problem
Educating customers
The new site, which has launched in the UK and is set to roll out across Europe throughout summer 2003, is an important step in our education efforts.
With over 44m MSN users in Europe, MSN is promoting greater customer awareness of how to fight Spam. The site will feature a dedicated 'How to Stop Spam' page, a series of easy-to-follow guides on how to effectively activate email filters in MSN Hotmail plus the latest educational tips on how to protect against spam.
MSN also educates consumers on how to better protect themselves against spam in the regular MSN Hotmail newsletters.
Working together with industry and government
In April in the US, Microsoft launched an anti-spam initiative with other industry leaders -- including AOL, Yahoo! and Earthlink -- aimed at working together to spearhead industry best practices and provide an ongoing resource to help make it easier for consumers and businesses to distinguish wanted mail from unwanted mail.
Most recently in June, MSN EMEA announced an extension of Microsoft's existing anti-spam efforts with a pan-European program to highlight its commitment to partnering with national and regional governments, associations and industry leaders to help fight spam.
Developing better anti-spam technology.
To date, Microsoft's investments in anti-spam technologies have already paid off for businesses and consumers, through innovations available in new versions of our products which include blocking technology and powerful spam filters.
Microsoft already blocks 2.4bn pieces of spam each day. In addition, MSN has a number of new technologies to help consumers keep their email addresses out of the hands of spammers and reduce the growth of email accounts which can be used to distribute spam.
These range from spam list creation deterrent technologies (Human Interactive Proof HIP has cut spam email registrations by 20%) and powerful spam filters which protect 120m Hotmail users worldwide, to image filters, three levels of junk email filtering at the inbox levels plus intelligent filters that can be manually taught to recognise spam.
Responsible enforcement
Microsoft is working with industry and law enforcement agencies to develop and coordinate actions against deceptive and illegal Spam.
On June 16, Microsoft filed 15 lawsuits in the US and the UK against companies and individuals alleged to be responsible for billions of spam messages sent in violation of state and federal laws.
Judy Gibbons, vice-president of MSN EMEA, commented: "Spam is one of the most serious problems we face today -- impacting on consumers' enjoyment of the internet and impacting on trust in technology generally.
"Alongside industry and government, we have a responsibility to help people address the issue and restore their confidence in email. We must all do our part to clamp down on spam and preserve the communications network that sustains the digital economy and helps people and companies everywhere realise their potential.
"By working together, we're committed to turning the tide of illegal and unwanted email and promoting broader digital integrity to make the internet a safer place for consumers, businesses and digital marketers alike".
For more information on MSN at Cannes and to download the White Paper and Seminar script visit .
About MSN
MSN attracts more than 300m unique users worldwide per month. Globally available in 34 markets and 18 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering web services to consumers and digital marketing solutions to businesses worldwide. The most useful and innovative online service today, MSN brings consumers everything they need from the web to make the most of their time online. MSN UK is located on the web at . MSN's worldwide marketing sites are located at .
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.
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