Small Businesses Worry About MS Anti-Phishing

prostoalex writes "Ever get that warm feeling of safety, when the anti-phishing toolbar on Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 turns green, telling you it's safe to shop on the site you're visiting? Well, you probably don't, but the millions of Internet users who will soon be running IE7 probably will be paying attention to the anti-phishing warnings. WSJ.com is reporting on how Microsoft is making it tough for small businesses to assure they're treated properly by the anti-phishing algorithm." From the article: "[S]ole proprietorships, general partnerships and individuals won't be eligible for the new, stricter security certificates that Microsoft requires to display the color. There are about 20.6 million sole proprietorships and general partnerships in the U.S... though it isn't clear how many are engaged in e-commerce... 'Are people going to trust the green more than white? Yes, they will,' says Avivah Litan, an analyst at Gartner Inc. and an expert on online payments and fraud. 'All the business is going to go to the greens, it's kind of obvious.'"

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Re: Free Referral System!!

[TaoPhoenix]

In the name of our country's movement towards Terror Marketing, they have built themselves a free referral network!

Coming Soon: Microsoft Stockings (MS).

  "We want to give Christmas Media Users the widest holiday content experience. Children can download passcodes from our site that let them log into the scales built into their stockings. Thus, if they ask for a new PlayStationSure-Mini, which weighs 19.7 ounces, and their stocking only weighs 13.5 ounces, they will receive an early warning that their wishes were not met.

A Microsoft spokesman has said, "We want to embrace the holiday experience, and extend our goodwill towards all non-windows users. Since children clearly did not want the products from other manufacturers in their stockings, children are being given an early opportunity to confront their parents before the packaging is destroyed."