ICA Technology Suite

Introduction

The risk of managing internet content has grown considerably. Responsible for costing companies millions in non-business related internet activity, the problem has led to damaged business reputations, harassment cases and employees claims. Email and internet use has soared year on year – A recent survey by EMA in association with Wilkofsky/Gruen & Associates projected that the number of e-mail users would double between 1996 and the year 2000, surpassing the 108 million mark.

Addressing the global problem

ICA presents an opportunity to fight back. Originally designed to analyse and predict the content on images across networks and the internet, this advanced and sophisticated technology provides our technology partners with a wide range of text and image filtering solutions. It differs from standard flesh-tone filters by using innovative Image Composition Analysis – proven to out-perform software relying on single analysis techniques. ICA is the most widely used image analysis technology, contributing to our partner’s success in generating revenue, securing and managing networks worldwide. ICA benefits millions of end users through a wide range of major OEM partners and resellers.

Filtering Technique

ICA effectiveness relies on a multi-layered approach - a series of complex calculations which recognise a number of specific attributes of an image:

• Texture analysis
• Backgrounds, stationary objects and shape detection
• Facial recognition
• Pose analysis

These techniques contribute to a more accurate prediction of suitability, and surpass traditional methods of determining an image’s suitability.

ICA Development

Supporting Windows/Linux and UNIX operating systems, the technology is supplied to developers and integration partners with full technical documentation and sample coding. Easy to integrate with partners’ products, ICA can provide means of controlling and managing content on email, the internet, chat rooms, mobiles, and other applications in the information security market sector. By integrating ICA technology, partners can create effective content management solutions.

Applications

The module is supplied as a DLL or with an API which allows the engine to be easily incorporated within an existing filtering architecture or called to return a value which can then be interpreted in a new product structure. To date the Image filter module has been integrated simply into all of the following:

• Internet level HTTP and SMTP scanning solutions
• Corporate server based solutions
• Home user and SME Client based solutions
• Mobile Phone Operator server environments
• Gateway Appliances
• ISP Downloaded solutions
• Microchip solutions for appliances

We get three million emails a day. Five per cent of those have images attached, and thirty per cent of the images are pornographic. By integrating ICA into our email filtering software, we give resellers an added-value proposition.

Mark Sunner, Chief Technical Officer, MessageLabs.