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Worldwide Messaging Operators Unite Under a Common Code of Conduct MAAWG'S 4th General Meeting to be Held in Dusseldorf, Germany on June 21-23, 2005 WILMINGTON, Del., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) today announced that a common Code of Conduct has been accepted by the Board of Directors. The Code provides a set of principles for the responsible operation of a messaging service and a framework for expected Messaging Operator actions in response to abuse as well as direction for inter-operator communications. "As messaging operators we stand united to discourage the practice of sending unsolicited bulk email," said Charles Stiles, MAAWG Collaboration Committee Co-Chair and America Online Postmaster. "This code of conduct serves as common ground to ensure we are all operating under the same set of principles." The Code of Conduct was developed by MAAWG members during the General Meeting in San Diego, with over 70 companies and attended by more than 220 persons. It is comprised by four simple principles. 1. Messaging operators should provide end users with a policy document (e.g., Acceptable Use Policy), which defines permissible/prohibited uses of the messaging services. 2. Messaging operators shall make reasonable efforts to hold customers accountable to the network's Acceptable Use Policy. Patterns of abuse that emanate from an operator's network should be a concern to that operator and its customer(s) to resolve in a timely manner. 3. Downstream receivers have the right to protect their servers, networks, users and other applicable resources from abuse by other operator's systems. In exercising this right, they may take action that prevents abusive messaging systems from accessing their resources. Decisions to implement protective measures to prevent access or provide reduced access to a particular messaging operator's resources should be based on evaluating the need to protect those resources with the desire to deliver quality messaging service to an operator's users. 4. Messaging operators should make reasonable efforts to communicate with other operators regarding abuse issues via manual or automated methods to address implementation of "protective measures." MAAWG's next general meeting will be held in Dusseldorf, Germany from June 21 to June 23, 2005. For more information on the meeting please go to http://www.maawg.org/ About MAAWG The Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) is an independent non- profit coalition of worldwide carriers and technology providers. MAAWG is dedicated to solving messaging abuse by working along three initiatives -- collaboration across operators, best practices technology, and providing an industry voice into public policy. MAAWG Members include: Sponsors (Board of Directors) * America Online * Bell Canada * BellSouth (NYSE:BLS) * Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR) * Cingular Wireless (NYSE:SBC) * Cloudmark * Cox Communications (NYSE:COX) * Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA) * EarthLink (NASDAQ:ELNK) * France Telecom * Goodmail Systems * Openwave Systems (NASDAQ:OPWV) * Swisscom Fixnet AG * Verizon * Yahoo! Full Members * Cablevision * Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ, Nasdaq: IIJI) * IronPort * MX Logic * Sprint * Symantec * Verisign Supporters * Bigfoot Interactive * Bizanga LTD * Checkfree Corporation * Cincinnati Bell * Fortinet Inc. * Habeas Inc. * Kelkea, Inc. * NetVision LLC * Nextel Communications * Omniti Computer Consulting, Inc. * Return Path, Inc. * Sendmail * Singlefin * Skylist, Inc. * TDC * TDS Telecom, TDS Metrocom * Word To The Wise For further information, contact: Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group 572B Ruger Street P.O. Box 29920 San Francisco, California 94129-0920 Telephone: 1-415-561-6277 Executive Director, Jerry Upton BellSouth Brent Fowler 1-404-829-8722 Openwave Systems Nicole Arena 1-650-346-4293 Comcast Jeanne Russo 1-215-981-8552 EarthLink Alexandra Trask 404-748-7267 America Online Nicholas Graham 703-265-1801 Sprint Charles M. Fleckenstein 913-794-2943 DATASOURCE: Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group (MAAWG) CONTACT: Jerry Upton, Executive Director of Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group, +1-415-561-6277, ; or Brent Fowler of BellSouth, +1-404-829-8722, ; or Nicole Arena of Openwave Systems, +1-650-346-4293, ; or Jeanne Russo of Comcast, +1-215-981-8552, ; or Alexandra Trask of EarthLink, +1-404-748-7267, ; or Nicholas Graham of America Online, +1-703-265-1801; or Charles M. Fleckenstein of Sprint, +1-913-794-2943 Web site: http://www.maawg.org/

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