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Spam-stomping start-up has some bright ideas
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July 14, 1998 Web posted at: 12:00 PM EDT by Paul McNamara |
From...
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SAN FRANCISCO (IDG) -- Backed by a who's who of Internet players, a San Francisco-based start-up is pledging to "end spam as we know it."
Bright Light Technologies, Inc., launched by a group of AOL expatriates, is expected to unveil a combination of server-side spam filtering and customized software update services in the coming weeks. The package will be pitched to ISPs and the Fortune 100.
Bright Light's "end spam" boast will undoubtedly be seen as audacious or naive by battle-weary spam fighters and the company's competitors. However, those familiar with Bright Light's ambitious plans and potent allies are convinced the undertaking holds significant promise.
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According to sources, Bright Light's software and services offering will:
1.Employ sophisticated server-based rules that recognize spam and restrict the ability of spammers to relay mail through other people's servers.
2."Treat spam like viruses" by providing as- needed filter updates written by Bright Light developers in response to the specific spam attacks that customers encounter.
3.Feature a constant Bright Light monitoring presence on customer e-mail networks to give the company's spam fighters immediate access to new spam outbreaks.
4.Ensure that ISP subscribers and corporate end users are granted granular control over which e-mail messages do and do not get blocked. "That's critical because one person's spam is another person's direct-mail piece," said one source.
Bright Light last week declined to discuss its strategy, partners or customers, except to paint the participants as "brand names."
According to sources, AT&T is on board, along with two of the most prominent suppliers of ISP e-mail technology: the recently commercialized Sendmail, Inc. of Emeryville, Calif., and Software.com, Inc. of Lexington, Mass. Those companies also declined comment.
Bright Light has received $5.5 million in start-up financing from a leading venture capital firm, Accel Partners of Palo Alto, Calif. Private investors include Esther Dyson, a longtime industry figure best known for her "Release 1.0" newsletter.
"They have a great handle on what needs to be done [to fight junk e-mail]," said one source familiar with Bright Light's plan. "They could be one of the significant factors in minimizing spam."
Bright Light, FreeLoader Bright Light's founder and CEO is Sunil Paul, a former Internet product manager at AOL whose previous start-up, a Web-based push service called FreeLoader, was sold in 1996 to Individual, Inc. for $38 million.
Bright Light is likely to encounter competition not only from e-mail and firewall vendors that have been scrambling to add spam controls to their software, but also from spam-specific products and services such as MailFilter from Berkeley Software Design, Inc. and an e-mail outsourcing service from Critical Path.
The outline of Bright Light's plan drew mixed reviews from those who have long fought spam.
"I think that, in general, the idea is sound and should work, but I don't see these services coming cheap," said Alan Krueger, a software engineer and antispam activist. "Still, for many companies and ISPs, the costs of trying to do it yourself could be more, especially if it isn't done right."
Chris Lewis, a computer security consultant who helped organize a recent boycott by antispam volunteers, said he is skeptical about the long-term potential for this type of filtering scheme.
"Given what I know of spam, [filtering won't] be very effective in reliably differentiating types of spam, without requiring large amounts of manual intervention," Lewis said. While Bright Light may be prepared to throw people at the problem, the approach could prove prohibitively expensive, he added.
Another potential customer said he, too, will need convincing.
"Sure, a filter might be great for a while, but eventually [a customer] may lose mailing-list subscriptions, order confirmations and important correspondence," said Ray King, president of Shock Media, a small Toronto-based ISP that was brought to its knees in March by a relay-spam attack. "If someone is viewing my mail based on the fact it may be considered spam, this is also a problem."
Calling All Zealots
Based on the tenor of Bright Light's pitch to prospective employees, it's clear the start-up is looking for antispam zealotry along with technical expertise. "We want people who want to help end spam," reads one of its help wanted ads. "If you think 'people should just hit delete,' you're not for us."
While cognizant of any start-up's need to grab public attention, experts suggested Bright Light may be setting customer expectations too high by boasting of its designs to "end spam as we know it."
"That's like saying you can cure the common cold," one source said.