Yahoo updates antispam tools

Yahoo on Tuesday introduced a new version of its antispam filtering software for Yahoo Mail, in an attempt to sweep out the unsolicited bulk e-mail that's cluttering in-boxes. The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company said it strengthened SpamGuard, the spam-filtering software underlying its free Web-based e-mail service. Yahoo said the latest version cuts back on junk mail by an additional 40 percent, according to early tests of the service. The Internet giant, whose e-mail product launched in 1997, has introduced other new spam protections recently, including a tool to block images or graphics in e-mail.

The move comes amid announcements from all the major Web portals, including America Online, that they have improved their spam-fighting technology.