Getting tough with spammers

New technology standards are being developed that could make spamming far more costly than it`s worth, reports CNET.

The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is this month reviewing a number of possible e-mail authentication proposals, and has agreed to fast-track a submission from Microsoft called Sender ID. The lack of authentication - the ability to authenticate the original source of e-mail messages - is seen as a major hole in the current system because it allows spammers to easily forge return addresses and hide their tracks.

IETF is also looking at submissions for signature-based authentication from companies such as Cisco Systems and Yahoo, recommending that the authors combine and resubmit a single proposal. A date has yet to be set for reviewing and approving any proposal.

According to Symantec, spam accounts for over 65% of all e-mail processed by servers.

Lonely consumers can now find companionship - on their mobile phone.

Hong Kong-based company Artificial Life has developed a virtual girlfriend - an animated figure that appears on a television screen - for mobile phones. However, this polyphonic partner does not come hassle-free, reports Xinhuanet.

Suitors will have to buy flowers and diamonds, and shower their love interest with attention to keep 'her` happy. While the woman may be virtual, subscribers will have to pay actual cash for the 'gifts` they send.

Company spokesperson Ada Fong says subscribers to the game can also send text messages to the virtual woman, who will respond by voice. The program will be suitable for all ages, and no sexual content will be included, adds Fong.

The company is working on a 'virtual boyfriend`, due early next year.

Intel has cut the prices on its computer chips, including its most expensive desktop computer processor, by as much as 35%.

However, analysts say the price cuts are not likely to be related to the company`s swelling inventories. According to MSNBC, the California-based chipmaker cuts prices regularly as it introduces new, faster products, although it did not announce plans to introduce a higher-end chip along with the latest cuts.

The world`s largest chipmaker will now sell its most expensive Pentium 4560 processor for $417 (R2 750), down from $637 (R4 200), while Itanium 2 processor costs were reduced by between 12% and 32%, depending on speed.

The Motion Picture Association of America has sued two DVD chipmakers for selling chips to companies that disregarded copy-protection rules.

According to CNET, this is the second lawsuit targeting DVD hardware makers, and is part of a new campaign by the trade association to crack down on the spread of disc players that deviate from a Hollywood-approved system of copy control features.

Unlike previous lawsuits, which were focused on controlling the spread of DVD-copying software, these cases look at the contracts used to control DVD technology rather than copyright law. These contracts ban the creation of any DVD-copying devices, and force DVD-makers to ensure that all outplay plugs are sufficiently protected to prevent any quality copies being made.