Adaptive junk message filtering system

A method of facilitating data filtering, comprising:

• automatically filtering incoming messages according to a false positive rate and a false negative rate of a seed filter;
• receiving user-correction data relating to at least one filtered message;
• determining an accuracy of the seed filter based on the user-correction data relating to the at least one filtered message;
• training a new filter using the user-correction data;
• determining a false positive rate and a false negative rate of the new filter;
• determining an accuracy of the new filter based on the false positive rate and the false negative rate of the new filter;
• and
• employing the new filter in lieu of the seed filter if the accuracy of the new filter is better than that of the seed filter.

A data filtering system, comprising:

• first means for filtering messages, the first means for filtering messages having associated therewith a false positive rate and a false negative rate;
• new means for filtering the messages, the new means for filtering the messages trained according to the false positive rate and the false negative rate associated with the first means for filtering the messages;
• means for determining a new false positive rate and a new false negative rate associated with the new means for filtering the messages as a function of threshold;
• means for determining a threshold of the new means for filtering the messages;
• means for employing the new means for filtering the messages in lieu of the first means for filtering the messages if a threshold exists for the new means for filtering the messages such that the new false positive rate and new false negative rate associated with the new means for filtering the messages are together considerd better than the false positive rate and the false negative rate associated with the first means for filtering the messages.