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back to article MessageLabs takes smut-blocking tech in-house

Web security services outfit MessageLabs has acquired image analysis technology firm Fortium ICA Limited. Fortium Technologies, the parent company of Fortium ICA, will continue to market and develop video copy control and fingerprint detection technologies as an independent company. Terms of the technology acquisition deal, …

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  1. GettinSadda
    Boffin

    Accuracy?

    From the Fortium website: "The engine is ... proven to be 90-95% accurate in terms of false positives and negatives in independent testing"

    So, let me get this right... up to 10% of all images are wrongly classified.

    I don't think I want something like this on any system I am responsible for!

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    F4i or not F4i

    <shrug>

    Hmm are these guys not F4i? The current (or previous) providers of their ICA technology?

    Maybe it's a coincidence that they share the same address...

    </shrug>

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  3. Funky Dennis
    Thumb Down

    Sony rootkit

    Just a reminder that Fortium Technologies (then known as First 4 Internet) developed the technology behind Sony's wonderful rootkit.

    And any analysis of false positives and false negatives is meaningless without two numbers, e.g. "90% true positives and 2% false positives".

    I have personally developed a system that detects 100% of pornographic images. It simply marks all images as pornographic. The false positive rate is crap, though.

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  4. James Butler
    Thumb Down

    Hmph

    Lovely. Now if they could only get a handle on all of that spam coming from their servers, I might be impressed by something they offer. As it is, we turn away truckloads of offensive messages from messagelabs servers each day, so our opinions of whatever it is that they do are really low.

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Regurgitated...

    Old news. We can only assume that MessageLabs are after headline hitting stories after announcing their need to be bought. Also, was the CFO not on the board of "F4i" ? Or an investor?

    Got to love the fudd! Well done that PR engine.

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  6. Danger Mouse
    Coat

    Uhmmmmmm

    MessageLabs are very expensive for what they do, I hope buying this company doesn't put the prices up for existing customers. Not that I'm one, honest, I find my trusty linux based smtp gateway does the trick nicely.

    (the one with smug git label on the back)

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  7. Sparkypatrick
    Unhappy

    Accuracy

    Having used the product through MessageLabs Image Control, I would say that "90-95% accurate in terms of false positives and negatives" would be 90-95% false positives. All wedding pictures, baby pictures and close-ups of faces reported (amongst others) as porn. Real porn usually ignored!

    Maybe thay were tied into a long contract and thought taking the company over would be the best way to get something usable out of them.

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