Microsoft today signed up Brightmail to tackle the junk mail bombarding Hotmail accounts. It is to install Brightmail Solution Suite at the SMTP gateway, to hoover up junk mail before it reaches the user.

According to Rick Holzli, general manager of MSN Hotmail, "unsolicited junk e-mail is a global problem in the industry today that affects not just Hotmail users, but e-mail users everywhere." Yes but... anyone who has ever used Hotmail knows that junkmail is much, much worse on its service than with other ISPs.

And what are Hotmail users to make of Holzli's claim that "joining forces with a leader such as Brightmail underscores MSN's continued commitment to aggressively fight spam and provide our users with a world-class e-mail experience". Continued?. He's having a laugh, isn't he?

According to Microsoft, there are 110m Hotmail users worldwide, which must mean billions of spams sent each day to Hotmail accounts.

Here is an article from last year Why Hotmail users get so much spam.

And here is the Brightmail press release. ®