Michael Gracie

I am reading this “article” on the breakdown of spam filters, and could only wonder who the hell the “expert” was and what he was thinking.

The idea that 30 spams per day per mailbox is beyond critical, bordering on chaos, is simply ridiculous. I know I get five times that per day, and my server side and client side spam filters make sure only one or two mails actually get through. I recently opened up a Gmail account, and from it I not only get zero spam, but periodic views of the web-based spam folder lead me to believe Google’s filters are doing a damn good job (meaning I have found only a couple of false positives in several weeks of use).

As I read further down the page, I realize the expert is pushing some proprietary challenge-response system. While I personally have few issues with challenge-response, I now have issues with the publication for trying to pulling the fast one, even if they did call it a “media release.”

Comodo, one of a million “online security specialists, is now offering a free anti-spam tool, which they claim “puts an end to spam.” While this sounds like the beginning of a new world, it is not..seriously..
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There are certainly some major advantages to having a personal whitelist working for you. After it has been properly configured, you can be fairly certain the volume of spam is going to drop. But getting it configured can be an ongoing job, particularly in the spoof-a-thon world we live in now.
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Even though the facts were straightened out roughly an hour after CNN reported IBM going into the vigilante spam business, some folks still don’t get the hint, including ITBusiness.ca.
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There has been a lot of chatter regarding IBM’s latest foray into the anti-spam marketplace. At first, the talk was primarily bunk. IBM was being accused of spamming back the spammers. Now, a few days later, the record has been set straight on FairUCE.
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