AiTi & JTB Respond To Spam Mail News

Bandar Seri Begawan - Responding to our news report "Lewd, obscene emails anger BruNet users", published on Tuesday, Feb, 8, 2005, the following joint press release was issued by the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AiTi), Jabatan Telekom Brunei (JTB) and DST Multimedia.

Titled `Continuous steps in managing e-mail spam in Brunei Darussalam', the statement reads:

Following the recent report on a number of BruNet email users receiving hundreds of spam emails, the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AiTi) and the local Internet Services Providers (ISPs), BruNet and Simpur, wish to issue a joint press release which reads as follows:

E-mail spam has continued to evolve in such a way that Internet e-mail users are sometimes overwhelmed with spam emails in their inbox. A crucial step in managing spam is to educate the public and to increase their awareness on e-mail spamming activities. The rate that spam is evolving continues to outpace any efforts to curb them. In addition to the key roles of the ISPs in managing e-mail spam at the 'main-server' or network infrastructure level, the role of end-users is also crucial in protecting themselves against email spam containing obscene and malicious intentions.

In this regard, joint initiatives to primarily educate the general public, particularly e-mail users will continue to be carried out by AiTi and the two local ISPs. Such efforts will include information and knowledge sharing about e-mail spam through various channels such as regular press releases, industry dialogs, and road shows.

Since November 2002, JTB has installed an Anti Spam Solution at the gateway to prevent Spam from being sent and received and to distinguish spam from legitimate emails. The Anti Spam solution, based on its filtering policy, helps to stop spam-like emails from being sent to the intended recipients' mailbox.

This has effectively filtered 50% to 60% of spam. However, due to the changing nature of spam, some have managed to pass through the filtering process and end up in the users' mailboxes. Among other efforts to fight spam are customer awareness and advice on personal protection of computers with anti spam filtering software.

Meanwhile DST Multimedia Sdn Bhd (Simpur) has installed Trend Micro's latest Anti-Virus and Anti-Spain software that works in an integrated system to provide comprehensive protection for ISP against Internet email virus and spamming activities.

In the meantime, we kindly urge the public to visit our website www.aiti.gov.bn/spam. This website provides general information and updates on e-mail spam, tips on what users can do to curb spam as well as links to other important and useful websites. E-mail users who encounter spam are kindly urged to contact the relevant authorities at antispam@aiti.gov.bn, or to call directly BruNet hotline at 121 and DSTCare at 151. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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