Microsoft Corp. said on Wednesday it has adopted an e-mail "whitelist" program by IronPort Systems Inc. that will allow legitimate marketers to thread the gauntlet of spam filters protecting its inboxes. Microsoft"s Hotmail and MSN e-mail services, which together claim 170 million regular users, will require marketers to put money up front if they wish to ensure their messages aren"t mistaken for unwanted spam.
IronPort"s "Bonded Sender" service guarantees that legitimate marketers who post a cash bond and adhere to a set of guidelines will get their messages delivered. "It"s the exact opposite of blocking. It says, "Hey you"re a good guy, I"m not going to run you through the metal detectors," said Tom Gillis, IronPort"s vice president for marketing. Such a "whitelist" approach requires the active cooperation of marketers -- a much more likely prospect now that Microsoft has signed up, Gillis said. Unsolicited bulk messages now account for roughly two-thirds of all e-mail, according to several estimates.