Peterson says that Agari hopes to offers its authentication data to other spam filtering services run by McAfee and Symantec.

FORBES: Cisco-Spawned Startup Agari Aims To Finally Kill Phishing

Google says this will enable users to retrieve vast amounts of old emails, and that it will back this up with superior spam filtering.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Google's Gmail sparks privacy row

Agari, in other words, is pitching itself not as a spam-filtering company so much as a brand-protection firm.

FORBES: Cisco-Spawned Startup Agari Aims To Finally Kill Phishing

One part of Google is busy creating indexes of online information while at the same time filtering out "spam, " which in this context means Web sites whose only function is to make money off the fact you land on them, without providing any sort of "value-added" information in the process.

FORBES: Digital Tools

Take all needed steps to secure networks, such as filtering incorrect routing information and spam and denying unauthorized access.

CNN: Global panel issues Internet security recommendations

The other day, for example, my techPresident colleague Sarah Lai Stirland reported on a growing battle breaking out on the massive social news filtering site Reddit between Paul supporters and critics tired of their efforts to "spam" Redditors with slanted news favoring Paul.

CNN: Will his 'Paulbots' torpedo Ron Paul in Iowa?

For instance, said Mr Hogan, filtering out e-mail messages that contain a web link can stop about 75% of spam.

BBC: PC hard drive, Eyewire