InterMute - InterMute Launches SpamSubtract to Bring an End to the Spam Epidemic

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InterMute Launches SpamSubtract to Bring an End
to the Spam Epidemic

Maker of AdSubtract Introduces Family-Friendly Tool to Stop Junk Email

BRAINTREE, MA. January 27, 2003 -InterMute, Inc., developer of award winning AdSubtract web-preference software, today announced the availability of SpamSubtract PRO, a user-friendly spam blocker that stops junk email for Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. InterMute designed SpamSubtract to be simple to use and highly effective, so even novice computer users can have a strong defense to block unwanted emails. SpamSubtract keeps your email Inbox clean of junk email and permits the review and deletion of captured email, without displaying offensive words and images commonly found in spam.

Spam has reached an epidemic level, affecting hundreds of millions of email users worldwide, impairing productivity and sapping network resources. Due to the low cost and low barrier of entry, it is all too easy to get into the spamming business. A recent Harris Poll states 80% of Internet users polled said they are "very annoyed" by spam. Estimates now claim about 50 percent of email consists of spam. Users must sort through numerous spam emails to get to their good email. With the explosive growth of spam, a real need has emerged for spam blocking software, such as SpamSubtract, to revitalize email productivity and to stop unwanted, inappropriate and pornographic emails.

SpamSubtract is easy-to-use and configure. Without making any changes to their email client, SpamSubtract allows email users to keep junk email away from their Inbox. Working as a spam firewall, SpamSubtract enables users to control what is considered spam vs. good email. Mail from friends is never filtered. SpamSubtract imports a "Friends" list from address books and mail folders, and can automatically add new people to whom mail is sent. SpamSubtract detains and segregates unwanted emails so they can be quickly reviewed and deleted at the user's convenience.

SpamSubtract is a family-friendly tool that protects email users from exposure to inappropriate words and pictures. Other anti-spam programs openly display inappropriate filter lists, words and pictures to end-users. SpamSubtract masks offensive words in spam and prevents the preview of spam attachments, which normally are displayed in your email client and sometimes contain explicit or offensive pictures. InterMute is offering a free trial of SpamSubtract for 30 days. Unique to SpamSubtract, after the trial period ends, the product will continue to block offensive language and images from emails, even if the user decides to not purchase SpamSubtract PRO.

"Families, consumers and small businesses generally lack the resources to implement expensive and complicated corporate-level anti-spam solutions," said Ed English, CEO, InterMute. "SpamSubtract is the perfect tool for users who want an effective solution to protect their PCs from the growing spam epidemic at a reasonable cost. The increasing outrage we've heard from people, in homes and offices, who are angry and embarrassed by emails with inappropriate and pornographic content is what drove us to develop a product to eradicate such emails."

SpamSubtract also provides security benefits, by quarantining email-borne viruses. By detaining spam in a special hold window, and not passing it to your email client, SpamSubtract can prevent malicious attachments such as viruses and bad scripts from executing.

SpamSubtract features
* Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express support, with any POP 3 email account.
* Friendly email addresses are auto-detected at setup and when email is sent.
* No friendly email ever gets deleted.
* Masks offensive words and prevents the preview of images attached to spam.
* Saves bandwidth and time by leaving spams on mail server until deleted.
* Advanced users can adjust criteria and default actions for each stranger type.
* Does not rely on maintenance-heavy and error prone blacklists.
* Object-based rules engine gives maximum flexibility by adding objects (people and phrases) vs. requiring creating and managing hundreds of rules.
* Blinking icon indicates when questionable email is being held in spam control panel.
* One click bulk or single delete of unwanted email.

SpamSubtract is the newest member of InterMute's family of web preference products, which include: AdSubtract PRO, its comprehensive banner and popup ad blocker with online privacy controls, PopSubtract, a pop-up blocker for Internet Explorer, and the recently released MessageSubtract, which blocks Windows messenger advertisements. InterMute's flagship product, AdSubtract, is distributed by more than 85 percent of retail modem manufacturers in North America.

Availability
SpamSubtract is available for a free 30-day trial and for $29.95 immediately at www.spamsubtract.com.

Legal
SPAM is a registered trademark owned by Hormel Foods. For further information about Hormel, see www.hormel.com.

About InterMute, Inc.
InterMute, Inc. develops and distributes Internet software to make the web more productive, pleasant, and private. Based in Braintree, Massachusetts, InterMute's software 'Subtracts the Ads' and protects online privacy. For further information, visit the InterMute web site at www.intermute.com.