Abstract: A spam filter system and method, for maintaining at least one database of permitted email addresses; automatically communicating with an email server, and selectively downloading and storing email not corresponding to entries in the database; automatically sending a challenge message in response to messages from non-permitted email addresses; if an appropriate response is received to the challenge message, adding the non-permitted email address to the database of permitted email addresses; and automatically restoring downloaded email messages from email addresses which become permitted.

Abstract: A command processor providing user authentication and message tamper detection, comprising: an interface to read email; and a processor for (i) analyzing command processor messages to determine an authentication of a sender; (ii) analyzing command processor messages to determine if the command message has been altered from an authentic message content; and if the command processor message is from an authenticated sender and unaltered, passing the message to a command processor.

Abstract: A communications system and method, comprising means for receiving a speech input from a user; converting the received speech input to a text representation thereof; communicating the text representation remotely from the user; and at least one of reproducing the speech input and displaying the text representation remotely from the user; and converting the text representation into speech remotely from the user.