Atlanta-based Internet provider EarthLink on Tuesday added an anonymous e-mail service as another way for its subscribers to steer clear of spam.

The new ProtectionPack, available only to EarthLink members, features Anonymous Email, which gives users five new anonymous addresses that are linked behind the scenes to the customers actual account.

Subscribers can then use those five anonymous e-mail accounts to register at Web sites, for online shopping, and for sending and receiving mail without exposing their identities. To keep mail delivered to the anonymous accounts separate from the personal address, messages are automatically shunted to ProtectionPack folders in the user's Web mail account.

"Most of us get about 200 e-mails a week, and some of it is still junk mail sneaking past our blocking tools, so it's no surprise that our customers are ready for spammers to dance their last dance," said Stephen Currie, EarthLink's director of product management, in a statement. "[This] adds another layer of protection that helps subscribers out-smart spammers and cut-down on the bogus messages that clog inboxes."

EarthLink members can activate the feature at this Web site.