AOL opens up spam tools

NEWS America Online is extending the availability of its personalised anti-spam software to people who use older versions of its online services.

The software for blocking unwanted email previously had been accessible only to AOL customers who use the latest versions of the company's online services, AOL 9.0 Optimised and AOL for Broadband. The personalised anti-spam controls are now available to users of AOL 8.0 Plus and will be extended to versions 8.0, 7.0 and 6.0 and to AOL for Mac OS X later this year, the company announced on Tuesday.

The upgraded anti-spam package allows subscribers to set up filters that block emails based on specific keywords or URLs. The system centres on a spam folder where suspected email messages are quarantined and separated from members' other incoming traffic.

Subscribers with AOL 6.0 through AOL 8.0 Plus or the Mac OS X version will now be able to get to their spam folders and view the contents when accessing their accounts. AOL also said that later this year the repository of unwanted messages would become accessible via a link appearing on users' mailboxes.

In the past, AOL has automatically blocked email sent from sources that run their own email servers through a broadband service, which is a common way for spammers to distribute their messages. ISPs have also been required to register their mail servers with AOL to keep email from being blocked. However, this shotgun approach has at times affected legitimate emailers, such as small businesses that run their own mail servers.

"Unwanted email is public enemy No. 1 for AOL members, and we are continuing to work with our members to fight the battle against spam," David Gang, executive vice president of AOL products, said in a statement. "The automatic delivery of these spam filters will be seamless to members using earlier versions of the AOL software... They will quickly see a noticeable difference in the number of spam emails they receive."

AOL said that the upgraded spam filters require no additional software installation, and that the tools would be augmented by the company's server-side spam-filtering efforts. The company estimates that it currently blocks up to 2.4 billion pieces of junk email each day and receives reports of up to 10 million unwanted mails per day from its users.

Earlier this year, AOL forwarded customers an online petition that asked state and federal legislators to expand laws meant to curtail spam. More than 1 million members reviewed and signed the document, according to AOL.