By John Leyden for The
Register.
This article has been reproduced with permission.
Blue has created a "Do Not Intrude Registry" (akin to the Do Not
Call Registry for telemarketing) with around 450,000 members.
Participants download a small tool, called Blue Frog, which
systematically floods the websites of spammers with opt-out
messages. Depending on your point of view, this initiative can
either be viewed as community action or vigilantism.
Earlier this week, members of the Blue community received
aggressive spam messages from an unknown group in an attempt to
intimidate users into dropping out of Blue Security's network. Blue
Security (somewhat hyperbolically) described the attempted
intimidation as "spam terrorism". And, in a nice piece of spin,
claims that spammers' reaction to its service validates the firm's
approach. It claims six out of 10 spammers comply, or are in the
process of complying, with Blue’s Registry.
Even though a portion of members received the belligerent
message, Blue Security is keen to play down fears that its email
database has fallen into the hands of spammers.
Founder and CEO of Blue Security Eran Reshef said: "Blue
Security’s Do Not Intrude Registry is encrypted and individual
member emails are not exposed to would-be spammers. The renegade
spammer that sent today’s email is using scare tactics and outright
lies to further his agenda – to stop the growth of the Blue
Community. Our members are not in any jeopardy of 'exposure' as the
spammers already have their addresses. That is why they joined the
Blue Community – to stop spam at its source by seeking compliance
with the registry."
© The Register
2006
