Microsoft takes on the 'spammers'

Microsoft has launched 15 lawsuits against alleged e-mail spammers in the United States and Britain.

The defendants are accused of flooding Microsoft’s computer systems and its customers with more than two billion deceptive, unsolicited e-mails.

The company said the lawsuits address some of the most misleading, deceptive and offensive spam e-mail received by Microsoft customers.

Thirteen of the lawsuits were filed in Washington state, which recently passed tough anti-spam laws, while the other two were filed in Britain.

“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 lawyer Brad Smith said.

Spam accounts for half of all e-mail traffic, according to some estimates.

Huge volumes of unsolicited messages clog up e-mail in-boxes and can dramatically slow down computer networks.

Many spam messages advertise pornographic websites, causing offence as well as inconvenience to individual e-mail users.

Launching the lawsuits, Microsoft cited Washington’s strong anti-spam law, which allows Internet service providers to take action against spammers.

“We need an aggressive, sustained and comprehensive assault by industry, government and consumers to stop spam,” said Washington Attorney General Christine Gregoire.

“These lawsuits are exactly the kind of action we need to put illegal spammers out of business.”

Unwanted e-mails on computers is the top consumer complaint in her office, she added.

In London, meanwhile, Jean-Phillipe Courtois, senior vice president and CEO of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa, announced a regional anti-spam initiative.

It includes two lawsuits alleging the unlawful gathering of e-mail account names and other illegal spamming practices.