WebTV Networks Chooses Spyglass' Surfwatch Parental Controls; First SurfWatch Server Implementation Integral to WebTV Mass Market Appeal

Business Wire, July 10, 1996

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 10, 1996--SurfWatch Software, a Spyglass, Inc. company (NASDAQ: SPYG), today announced that its industry-leading Internet filtering and parental control software will be bundled with the WebTV Network, a breakthrough service that will bring the Internet to any television in the U.S. Significantly, this bundling agreement also represents the first implementation of SurfWatch's server filtering technology, in which the software resides on a WebTV server as opposed to an individual personal computer.

"We have found SurfWatch software to provide the most complete and easy-to-use solution to the problem of inappropriate or undesirable Internet access, by putting control in the hands of users instead of censors," said Steve Perlman, president of WebTV Networks. "It's an issue we were concerned about from the beginning of our development, and we're delighted that SurfWatch was able to come up with an implementation of its software for WebTV."

"WebTV is a huge breakthrough in Internet access," said Ann Duvall, president of SurfWatch Software. "As the makers of the industry's leading Internet filtering and parental control software, SurfWatch applauds WebTV Networks for their forethought and vision to include our software as part of their system. We are convinced that providing users with automatic control over their Internet access will make the concept of WebTV all the more attractive to customers."

SurfWatch Via TV Will Work Just Like SurfWatch Via Computer

When used with personal computers, SurfWatch resides on the computer itself. With WebTV, SurfWatch will, for the first time, reside on a WebTV server. But from a users' perspective, the level of flexibility and ease of use will be the same regardless of which Internet access vehicle they choose.

SurfWatch lets parents, teachers and employers block unwanted sexually explicit and other material from the Internet, without restricting the access rights of other Internet users. The SurfWatch software removes no material from the Internet, but simply blocks it prior to reaching the WebTV set-top box if a user has requested an inappropriate site. SurfWatch screens Internet newsgroups, World Wide Web, FTP, Gopher, Chat and other services. As part of the WebTV Network, SurfWatch will let users control Internet access via their TV sets as easily and thoroughly as via a personal computer.

SurfWatch creates Internet products for both Macintosh and Windows-based personal computers and licenses Internet access control technology to the on-line services industry. As a founding member of the PICS consortium, SurfWatch is also supporting the development of standards- based Internet rating systems. SurfWatch is rapidly becoming the industry-standard tool for blocking access to unwanted materials on the Internet.

Subscribers to the WebTV Network, a subscription- based on-line service, will be able to "surf" the Internet and communicate through electronic mail using a television, a set-top box and a simple remote control. The system is based on industry standards, and the WebTV Reference Design's open and flexible guidelines and technologies will enable hardware manufacturers to interpret and implement WebTV-based set-top boxes based on market and customer needs. WebTV includes patent-pending digital image processing technology that makes Web pages, which are designed for display on computer monitors, appear on the television with stunning clarity and stability. In fact, WebTV Web pages are easy to read even from across a living room.

About WebTV Networks, Inc.

Founded in June 1995 by three former Apple technologists and multimedia pioneer - Steve Perlman, Bruce Leak and Phil Goldman - WebTV Networks is dedicated to bringing high-quality, affordable Internet access to television consumers through integrated, easy-to- use, standards-based technologies and services. WebTV Networks has its headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif.

About SurfWatch Software

SurfWatch Software is a product group of Spyglass Inc. (NASDAQ: SPYG). SurfWatch Software, was acquired in April, 1996 by Spyglass, a leading licensor of World-Wide Web client and server technology. SurfWatch Software, based in Los Altos, California, is pioneering the development of new technologies for the Internet. SurfWatch Software was the first company to ship Internet software for blocking access to inappropriate material and has licensed Internet filtering technology to the on-line services industry. SurfWatch Software can be reached at 415/948-9500, info@surfwatch.com, or via the World Wide Web at http://www.surfwatch.com. -0- Note to Editors: SurfWatch is a trademark of Spyglass, Inc. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

CONTACT: SurfWatch Software, Inc.,

Jay Friedland 415/948-9500; Fax 415/948-9577

jay(at)surfwatch.com

or

Davey Levy Communications,

Julie Edwards Levy 408/461-4600; Fax 408/461-9290

daveylevy(at)marcom.com