Steve Linford

Steve Linford is a British anti-spam campaigner best known for founding The Spamhaus Project. [http://www.spamhaus.org/organization/ About Spamhaus] ]

Linford was born in England. His parents moved to Rome where his father ran an industrial platinum factory.Brian McWilliams (2004). "Spam Kings", pp 76-77. O'Reilly Media. ISBN 0596007329] After leaving college to pursue a music career,Brian McWilliams (2004). "Spam Kings", pp 76-77. O'Reilly Media. ISBN 0596007329] Linford purchased a motor home shipped over from the US, parked it on beaches around the Mediterranean, and made his living writing music and playing guitar in clubs.Brian McWilliams (2004). "Spam Kings", pp 76-77. O'Reilly Media. ISBN 0596007329] When artists such as Pink Floyd and Michael Jackson toured Italy, Linford served as their local production manager.Brian McWilliams (2004). "Spam Kings", pp 76-77. O'Reilly Media. ISBN 0596007329]

As computers began to be used in music production and touring, Linford turned to computing and in 1986 drove his motor home back to England where he set up a computer company with his brother Julian, called Ultradesign Technology. Their flagship product for many years was a file-searching program called UltraFind for the Macintosh similar to, but predating by many years, Apple's Sherlock.Brian McWilliams (2004). "Spam Kings", pp 76-77. O'Reilly Media. ISBN 0596007329] After Julian Linford left to work with the European Space Agency,Brian McWilliams (2004). "Spam Kings", pp 76-77. O'Reilly Media. ISBN 0596007329] Linford refocused the company in 1995 as a web service company called Ultradesign Internet.

Finding his customers were being harassed with junk emails, he sought ways to stop the problem and in doing so he became an anti-spam campaigner. In 1998, he founded Spamhaus. Currently his project's DNSBLs are used by an estimated two-thirds of the world's Internet service providers and collectively serve over 800 million e-mail users. [http://www.spamhaus.org/organization/ About Spamhaus] ]

In 2003 the New York Times dedicated the front page of its Business section to an article about Steve Linford.cite news|title=Spammers Can Run But They Can't Hide|first=Saul|last=Hansel|publisher="New York Times" |date=2003-11-09| url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980DE4DC1339F93AA35752C1A9659C8B63] Since then he has regularly spoken on spam and security at government hearings, the European Parliament and the UN. [http://www.spamhaus.org/organization/ About Spamhaus] ] In 2004 he was given the Internet Hero Award by the British ISP Association ISPA. [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=linford+hero+award ISPA Internet Hero Award] ]

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