By Pamela Parker | August 4, 2004

America Online has acquired anti-spam Web-based e-mail company Mailblocks, in a deal that will bring challenge/response technology to the giant ISP. Financial terms of the acquisition weren't disclosed.

Mailblocks was founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Phil Goldman, who died suddenly on Christmas day of last year at the age of 39. Goldman had also founded WebTV, which was later sold to Microsoft. The company never found a permanent CEO after Goldman's death.