Microsoft added a widely used spam filter to its MSN Internet service this week in a belated decision that underscores the ongoing difficulties of striking out against unsolicited bulk e-mail. Anti-spam activists called the move long overdue, saying it will drastically reduce the estimated 10 billion spam messages carried on MSN annually. Known as port 25 blocking, the measure has been adopted by most major Internet service providers as a way to prevent spammers from using random ISPs to ply their trade.
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