SBC AT&T Inc.

Will Serve on MAAWG Board of Directors SAN FRANCISCO, March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp., with its Outlook, Exchange Server and MSN Hotmail(TM) email offerings, has joined the global Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG), an organization where network operators and vendors join forces to reduce spam and email abuse. Microsoft has made a significant commitment to the organization's efforts by joining at the highest membership level and will serve on the MAAWG Board of Directors. Microsoft's MSN Hotmail(TM) represents one of the largest and most popular online email communities. With this addition to the existing members' ISP networks, MAAWG now represents over half a billion mailboxes worldwide in the fight against both consumer and business online abuse, including the three largest providers of consumer email in the world. The service providers and vendors who are members of MAAWG cooperate in developing best practices to limit network access to spammers and in identifying new email threats. The organization also serves as the industry's voice on issues of public policy. "We believe that threats like spam, phishing and malware must be addressed on several fronts, including technology innovation, industry and government collaboration, and user education and guidance, to help ensure online trust and confidence," said Craig Spiezle, director, Microsoft Technology Care and Safety Group. "MAAWG's goals closely align with Microsoft's commitment to holistically address these issues, and we look forward to working with the organization and its members as we collectively continue to further industry-wide efforts to create a safer and more secure online experience." Microsoft joins other major Internet Service Providers and vendors from around the world, including key Internet, telecommunications and broadband network operators from the United States, Canada and Europe. "MAAWG is recognized as being one of the most effective organizations for fighting abuse globally and it is where companies that are serious about fighting spam can cooperate and leverage their expertise," said Jonathan Curtis of Bell Canada, who is chairman of the MAAWG board of directors. "We welcome Microsoft and believe their experience and depth will play a vital role in helping us eliminate excessive spam and abuse." Microsoft joined at the sponsor level and participated as a board member at the MAAWG 6th General Meeting in San Francisco on Feb. 28 through March 2. The meeting was another opportunity the organization provides for ongoing face-to-face industry dialogue on technical and collaborative efforts to reduce spam, evaluation of anti-abuse tools, public policy and other vital issues. About the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) is where the messaging industry comes together to work against spam, viruses, denial-of-service attacks and other online exploitation. MAAWG (http://www.maawg.org/) is the only organization addressing messaging abuse holistically by systematically engaging all aspects of the problem, including technology, industry collaboration and public policy. It leverages the depth and experience of its global membership to tackle abuse on existing networks and new emerging services. Headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., MAAWG is an open forum driven by market needs and supported by major network operators and messaging providers. MSN Hotmail is a trademark of Microsoft. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Note to Editors: Other MAAWG directors commented on Microsoft's Sponsor- level membership: Charter Communications Director of Internet Security Laurie Jill said, "Microsoft Hotmail is among the largest electronic mailbox communities. MAAWG welcomes their participation as Internet service and email providers working together to reduce spam and other forms of abuse across the Internet." Jacinta Tobin, Cloudmark, Inc. vice president, business development said, "Cloudmark is delighted that MAAWG continues to grow in its support from the world's leading service providers. This growth makes the working group a powerful force in the fight against messaging abuse." Goodmail Systems, Inc. CEO Richard Gingras said, "We're pleased to have Microsoft's industry expertise and leadership as part of MAAWG, and with the addition of Microsoft, MAAWG is clearly established as the preeminent organization seeking to address the challenges of messaging abuse." Kevin Wagner, director of technology at Openwave and MAAWG vice-chair said, "Openwave is pleased to see that MAAWG continues to grow and attract key industry leaders to collaborate and engage in important policy discussions. The addition of Microsoft will help MAAWG be more effective as the world's largest messaging providers and vendors continue to work together on effective ways to reduce spam, viruses and other forms of messaging abuse." Contact: Linda Marcus, APR, 714-974-6356, , Astra Communications MAAWG Sponsors (Board of Directors): America Online; Bell Canada; BellSouth (NYSE:BLS); Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR); Cingular Wireless (NYSE:SBC); Cloudmark; Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA); Cox Communications (NYSE:COX); EarthLink (NASDAQ:ELNK); France Telecom; Goodmail Systems; Microsoft Corporation; Openwave Systems (NASDAQ:OPWV); Swisscom Fixnet, AG LTD; Verizon Communications; and Yahoo! MAAWG Full Members: Bizanga LTD; Cablevision; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Internet Initiative Japan, (IIJ Nasdaq: IIJI); IronPort Systems; MX Logic; O2; Sprint; Sun Microsystems, Inc.; and Symantec MAAWG Supporters: AcquireWeb, Inc.; Adknowledge, Inc.; Checkfree Corp.; CheetahMail, An Experian Co.; Cincinnati Bell; Constant Contact; Critical Path, Inc.; DoubleClick, Inc.; e-Dialog; eleven GmbH; Epsilon Interactive; ExactTarget, Inc.; Fortinet, Inc.; Habeas, Inc.; Mansell Group, Inc.; Message Level, LLC; Messagelabs; Nextel Communications; Omniti Computer Consulting, Inc.; Perftech, Inc.; Pivotal Veracity; Plala Networks Inc.; Return Path, Inc.; RPost; Sendmail; Singlefin; Skylist, Inc.; StrongMail Systems, Inc.; TDC; TDS Telecom; Trend Micro, Inc.; Uptilt, Inc.; Verisign Inc.; Word To The Wise; and Yesmail DATASOURCE: Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group CONTACT: Linda Marcus, APR, Astra Communications, +1-714-974-6356, Web site: http://www.maawg.org/

Copyright