Network Associates Buys Deersoft [InfoWorld]

Certainly spam is a problem. And where there is a problem, there is money to be made in providing a solution. However, somehow it just doesn't seem right to be making money in providing spam filtering. I feel that way because people shouldn't have to pay to get rid of spam. They are innocent victims.

Imagine this scenario: Five years from now, spam filtering tools are widely used, and millions of email users pay a subscription for spam filtering tools. Then it's easy to measure the cost of spam: X number of email users pay Y number of dollars to fight spam. At that point, when the bean counters start reporting huge numbers as the cost of spam, then the government steps in and passes laws that prohibit spam.

Well, it's not that simple. Laws in the U.S. can't affect spammers who work from overseas.

So, can you create a solid business based on anti-spam tools? Perhaps. I'm considering giving it a try. But there are risks. If spam is a really big problem -- and it is -- open source developers will devote much of their effort to producing anti-spam tools. Perhaps that's how it should be. Innocent email users shouldn't have to pay for getting rid of spam.

9:26:10 PM