Microsoft is to release the beta version of IE 7.0 at the end of this year, and the IE 7.0 will be formally released in Q1 2006. IE 7.0 will strengthen guard against spy software, phishing websites and spams, revealed Craig D. Spiezle director of Microsoft's Safety Technology and Strategy Group.

Compared with current versions of IE, IE 7.0 will set up a database containing list of illegitimate and legitimate websites, from which Internet users can acquire reputation index of a certain website when they make queries to Microsoft's server.

The IE 7.0 being tested now is still a professional version. Statistics show a total of 150, 000 users have registered to use this version. According to a timetable, Microsoft will release the IE 7.0 beta version at yearend and IE 7.0 in Q1 2006.

Microsoft will offer latest toolbar on MSN, and increase efforts to guard against spy software, phishing websites and spams.

However whether to enable the function is up to users. Microsoft only offers risk index, and the users themselves decide if they continue visit a website, Craig D. Spiezle said.

According to Microsoft, criminal groups with business sense have replaced Internet lovers and hackers to be spam senders. They have begun to take Internet users as their target. In the crimes, spam is a just a carrier that works together with spy software and phishing websites.

Microsoft has so far filed 105 lawsuits against spam senders in the US. It is working closely with AOL, Yahoo! and China Internet Association to change the situation.

By People's Daily Online